
HARMON Y , 7 



THE KINGS AND PROPHETS; 



OR, 



AN ARRANGEMENT OF THE HISTORY CONTAINED IN THE BOOKS OF 
KINGS AND CHRONICLES, TOGETHER WITH THE WRITINGS OF 
THE PROPHETS INTRODUCED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER 
AS THEY WERE DELIVERED, COMMENCING WITH THE 
REYOLT OF THE TEN TRIBES, AND CLOSING WITH 
THE PROPHECY OF MALACHI. 



By STEPHEN MERRILL, 

Pastor of the 1st Congregational Church in Kittery, Maine. 



REVISED BY THE PUBLISHING COMMITTEE. 




BOSTON: 

MASSACHUSETTS SABBATH SCHOOL UNION. 
Depository, No. 47, Cornhill. 



1832. 




Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1832, 

By Christopher C. Dean, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



PREFACE. 



The object of this Compilation of the Holy Scriptures, is 
to present a connected view of the Kings and the Prophets 
with reference to order of time which each occupied. Every 
attentive reader must have noticed that this order is very little 
regarded, either in the historical or prophetical part of this 
portion of the sacred volume. We are carried forward several 
years, and then, without any distinctly marked notice, we are 
brought back to the same period. This occasions incon- 
venience to the reader, and not unfrequently obscurity. 

For persons in ordinary life to arrange, correctly, the chro- 
nology of these books, is more than we have a right to expect. 
Yet such arrangement not unfrequently gives peculiar force 
and beauty to the Scriptures. Take Hosea, xi. 8, for example. 
"How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver 
thee, Israel ? How shall I make thee as Admah ? How shall 
I set thee as Zeboim ? My heart is turned within me, my 
repentings are kindled together." The knowledge of the 
chronology of this inimitably pathetic address to the kingdom 
of Israel, makes it but five years before the utter extinction 
of that kingdom ; and thus presents to our view a scene, in 
which the great Jehovah is the actor, resembling that of the 
most affectionate parent pursuing his son in a last effort to 
save him from self-destruction. 



IV 



PREFACE. 



However much men were disposed to study the Scriptures, 
most of the Bibles in the community have no chronology 
noted, and they have no means by which correctly to ascer- 
tain it ; and others who have the chronology, either have not 
found leisure or inclination to search it out. 

The sacred text will be kept as distinct and as free as pos- 
sible from original composition ; adding nothing, except occa- 
sionally as a connecting link between passages which could 
not be gained harmoniously without ; and sometimes a short 
explanatory note or parenthesis. 

That this book may assist in the study and in the under- 
standing of the Holy Scriptures, is the prayer of the au- 
thor. 

S. Merrill. 



HARMONY, 



The promise of a Saviour which God made to our first parents, 
was solemnly ratified in a covenant with Abraham, and confirmed to 
the sceptre of David. To him God said, 

2 SAMUEL, VII. B. C. 1042. 

12 I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy 
bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the 
throne of his kingdom for ever. 

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son : if he commit ini- 
quity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of 
the children of men: 

15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it 
from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever 
before thee : thy throne shall be established for ever. 

1 KINGS, II. B. C. 1014. 

10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of 
David. 

11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years : 
seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned 
he in Jerusalem. 

1 CHRONICLES, XXIX. 

23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead 
of David his father, and prospered ; and all Israel obeyed him. 

24 And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons like- 
wise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king. 

25 And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of 
all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty, as had not been 
on any king before him in Israel. 

1 



10 



Solomon. 



2 CHRONICLES, I. 

6 And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before the 
Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered 
a thousand burnt-offerings upon it. 

7 IT In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, 
Ask what I shall give thee. 

8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto 
David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 

9 Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be 
established : for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust 
of the earth in multitude. 

10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and 
come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people that is 
so great? 

11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and 
thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine 
enemies, neither yet hast asked long life ; but hast asked wisdom and 
knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over 
whom I have made thee king ; 

12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee ; and I will give 
thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have 
had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee 
have the like. 

B. C. -992. I kings, ix. 

God's covenant in a vision with Solomon. The mutual presents 
of Solomon and Hiram. Solomon's yearly sacrifices. 

1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of 
the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all Solomon's de- 
sire which he was pleased to do, 

2 That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had 
appeared unto him at Gibeon. 

3 And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy 
supplication that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this 
house which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever ; and 
mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 

4 And if thou wilt w T alk before me, as David thy father walked, in 
integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I 
have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judg- 
ments ; 

5 Then 1 will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for 
ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail 
thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 

6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, you, or your 
children, and will not keep my commandments, and my statutes, 
which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and wor- 
ship them ; 

* Mr. Townsend has dated this portion B. C. 100], which is three years only after 
the dedication ; the date of which, in his book and mind, agree. But Solomon was 
thirteen years building his own house. Reckoning the first and the last of these, 
after the manner of the Hebrews, the date will agree with the above. I must con- 
clude, therefore, that Townsend'S date is erroneous. 



Solomon. 



II 



7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given 
them : and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I 
cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a by-word 
among all people : 

8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it 
shall be astonished, and shall hiss ; and they shall say, Why hath the 
Lord dene thus unto this land, and to this house? 

9 -And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their 
God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and 
have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and 
served them : therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this 
evil. 

1 kogs, xi. B. C. 990 to 982. 

Solomon's wives and concubines, in his old age, draw him to idola- 
try. God threattneth him. His death. 

1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the 
daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, 
Zidonians, and Hittites; 

2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the chil- 
dren of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in 
unto you : for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods : 
Solomon clave unto these in love. 

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred 
concubines : and his wives turned away his heart. 

4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turn- 
ed away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect 
with the Lord his God, as teas the heart of David his father. 

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, 
and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not 
fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 

7 Then .did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abom- 
ination of ]\Joab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, 
the abomination of the children of Ammon. 

8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt in- 
cense and sacrificed unto their gods. 

9 r And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was 
turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him 
twice, 

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should 
not go after other gods : but he kept not that which the Lord com- 
manded. 

11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is 
done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, 
which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from 
thee, and will give it to thy servant. 

12 Notwithstanding, in thy days I will not do it for David thy 
father's sake : but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 

13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give 
one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's 
fake which I have chosen. 



12 



A h ijah . R eli oho am t 



The same -predictions were made to Jeroboam the ruler of the 
tribe of Ephraim, by the prophet Ahijah; to which the following 
additions were made : 

B. C. 979. 1 kings, xi. 

ST And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that 
thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 

38 And it shall be. if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command 
thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to 
keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, 
that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for 
David, and will give Israel unto thee. 

39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. 
4*2 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, over all Israel, 

was forty 7 years. 

43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city 
of David his father : and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. 

1 KIXGS, XII. 

Rehoboam refusing the old men's counsel, ten tribes revolt. 

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem : for all Israel were come to 
Shechem to make him king. 

2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was 
yet in Egypt, heard of it. (for he was fled from the presence of king 
Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt,) 

3 That they sent and called him : and Jeroboam and all the con- 
gregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 

4 Thy father made our yoke grievous : now, therefore, make thou 
the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put 
upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 

5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come 
again to me. And the people departed. 

6 If And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood be- 
fore Solomon his father, while he yet lived, and said, How do ye 
advise ? that I may answer this people. 

7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto 
this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and 
speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. 

8 Eut he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given 
him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with 
him, and which stood before him 9 

9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye ? that we may 
answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke 
which thy father did put upon us lighter. 

10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto 
him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto 
thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it 
lighter unto us ; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall 
be thicker than my fathers loins. 

11 And now, whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke,, 



Relioboam. Jeroboam. Ahijah. 



13 



I will add to your yoke : my father hath chastised you with whips, 
but I will chastise you with scorpions. 

12 IT So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third 
day. as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third 
day. 

13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old 
men's counsel that they gave him; 

14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying. 
My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke : my 
father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 
scorpions. 

15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people ; for the 
cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying, which 
the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of 
Nebat. ~ . 

16 H So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto 
them, the people answered the kins:, saying, What portion have we 
in David ? neither have ice inheritance in the son of Jesse : to your 
tents, Israel : now see to thine own house, David. So Israel de- 
parted unto their tents. 

IT But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of 
Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 

IS Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute ; 
and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king 
Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jeru- 
salem. 

19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 

20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was 
come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, 
and made him king over all Israel : there was none that followed the 
hou-e of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 

21 r And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled 
all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and 
fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against 
the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son 
of Solomon. 

22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, 
saying, 

23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and 
unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the 
people, saying, 

24 Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up nor fight against your 
brethren the children of Israel : return every man to his house ; for 
this thing is from me. They hearkened, therefore, to the word of 
the Lord, and returned to depart, according to the word of the 
LoPvD. 

25 IT Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt 
therein ; and went out from thence and built Pemiel. 

26 * And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return 
to the house of David ; 



* We here have one of the most artful and successful devices to corrupt and de«. 
Stroy religion. Selfishness lay at the foundation of Jeroboam's conduct. And 
this, alas, in every age, has been most fatallv productive of false religions, and of 

i * 



14 



Rehoboam. Jeroboam. Ahijah. 



27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at 
Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their 
lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and 
go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 

28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, 
and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem : 
behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of 
Egypt. 

29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. 

SO And this thing became a sin : for the people went to worship 
before the one, even unto Dan. 

31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the 
lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. 

32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the 
fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and 
he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the 
calves that he had made : and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the 
high places which he had made. 

33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the 
fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had 
devised of his own heart ; and ordained a feast unto the children of 
Israel : and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. 

2 CHRONICLES, XI. 

13 IT And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel, resorted 
to him out of all their coasts. 

14 (For the Levites left their suburbs, and their possession, and 
came to Judah and Jerusalem : for Jeroboam and his sons had cast 
them off from executing the priest's office unto the Lord. 

15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the 
devils, and for the calves which he had made.) 

16 And after them out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their 
hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice 
unto the Lord God of their fathers. 



corruptions in the true. The fear of losing the government was the selfish motive. 
The art of his conduct lay in addressing the ease and convenience of the people, 
" It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem ;" in pretending to worship the same ' 
gods which brought them up out of Egypt ; in making the worship, in some mea- 
sure, resemble the true, and in selecting from the lower classes his priests. This r 
latter was calculated to secure the favor of the populace by raising them, without 
any preparation, to the offices of ministers of religion. It was also calculated to 
prevent all instruction on the subject of religion, by which the truthshould be per- 
ceived, and his errors detected. By this course, Jeroboam has become famous in- , 
deed : for his name is mentioned in the subsequent history something like twenty 
times, as the sinner who " made Israel to sin." From the time Israel left Egypt, 
the nation had manifested a strong propensity to idolatry. But revival after re- 
vival of the worship of Jehovah had saved them ; and under the government of 
pious David, they had become a very numerous and prosperous people. But from 
the accession of Jeroboam to the throne of the ten tribes, no pious king reigned, 
and no extensive revival of true religion was enjoyed. God raised up prophets who 
labored to bring them back to his worship and fear; and a small remnant, were * 
saved by their means. But sin, like a consumption, was continually wasting their 
prosperity and their national being. Idolatry, encouraged by their kings, prevailed 
against all obstacles presented by the imperfect knowledge of the Scriptures, and ,' 
the faithful labors of the Lord's prophets. And in 254 years fiom the setting up 
of Jeroboam's calves, the ten tribes ceased for ever to be a body politic. 



Jeroboam. The Prophet without a name. 15 



17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Reho- 
boam the son of Solomon strong, three years : for three years they 
walked in the way of David and Solomon, 

1 ki>-gs, xiii. B. C. 974. 

1 And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word 
of the Lord unto Beth-el : and Jeroboam stood by the altar to bum 
incense. 

2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, 
altar, altar, thus saith the Lord ; Behold, a child shall be born unto 
the house of David, Josiah by name ; and *upon thee shall he offer 
the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's 
bones shall be burnt upon thee. 

3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which 
the Lord hath spoken ; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes 
that are upon it shall be poured out. 

4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the 
man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put 
forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, 
which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it 
in again to him. 

5 The altar also w 7 as rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, 
according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word 
of the Lord. 

6 IF And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat 
now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand 
may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, 
and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was 
before. 

7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, 
and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a rew r ard. 

8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me 
half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread 
nor drink water in this place: 

9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat 
no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou 
earnest. 

10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he 
came to Beth-el. 

11 IT Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el ; and his sons 
came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that 
day in Beth-el : the words which he had spoken unto the king, them 
they told also to their father. 

12 And their father said unto them, What way went he ? for his 
sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from 
Judah. 

13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled 
him the ass, and he rode thereon, 

14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an 



* See 2 Kings, xxiii. ; or, B. C, 624, 



16 



The Prophet ivithoat a name. 



oak : and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that earnest from 
Judah ? And he said, I am. 

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 

16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee : 
neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place : 

17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat 
no bread, nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that 
thou earnest. 

18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art ; and an angel 
spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with 
thee into thine house, that he may eat bread, and drink water. But 
he lied unto him. 

19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and 
drank Water. 

20 ft And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of 
the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back : 

21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, say- 
ing, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the i 
mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the j 

► Lord thy God commanded thee, 

22 But earnest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the 
place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and \ 
drink no water ; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy 
fathers. 

23 ft And it came to pass after he had eaten bread, and after he had j 
drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom 
he had brought back. 

24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew 
him : and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the 
lion also stood by the carcass. 

25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the 
way, and the lion standing by the carcass : and they came and told if j 
in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 

26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way | 
heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient unto 
the word of the Lord ; therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto J 
the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word I 
of the Lord, which he spake unto him. 

27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they i 
saddled him. 

28 And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass 1 
and the lion standing by the carcass : the lion had not eaten the car- 
cass, nor torn the ass. 

29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and 
laid it upon the ass, and brought it back : and the old prophet came i 
to the city, to mourn, and to bury him. 

30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave ; and they mourned 
over him, saying, Alas, my brother ! 

31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to 
his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre ; 
wherein the man of God is buried ; lay my bones beside his bones : 

32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord 
against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high 



Jeroboam. Rehoboam. 



places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to 
pass. 

33 I 7 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but 
made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: 
whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the 
priests of the high places. 

34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to 
cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. 

2 CHRONICLES, XII. B. C. 971. 

1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the king- 
dom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, 
and all Israel with him. 

2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, 
Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had 
transgressed against the Lord. 

3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horse- 
men : and the people were, without number that came with him out 
of Egypt : the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. 

4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, aud came 
to Jerusalem. 

5 M Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the 
princes of Judah that were gathered together to Jerusalem because 
of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have 
forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of 
Shishak. 

6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled them- 
selves ; and they said, The Lord is righteous. 

7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the 
word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled 
themselves ; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them 
some deliverance ; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jeru- 
salem by the hand of Shishak. 

8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants ; that they may know 
my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 

9 * So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took 
away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the 
king's house ; he took all : he carried away also the shields of gold 
which Solomon had made. 

10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and 
committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the 
entrance of the king's house. 

11 And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the 
guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard 
chamber. 

12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned 
from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in 

5 I Judah things went well. 

13 IT So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and 



* Thus, in the space of five years from the death of Solomon, was this powerful 
id wealthy kingdom reduced to a state of vassalage by sin. 



18 



Jeroboam. Alujali. 



reigned ; for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began 
to reign, and he reigned seventeen j*ears in Jerusalem, the city 
which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put 
his name there : and his mother's name was Naaruah, an Ammon- 
itess. 

14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the 
Lord. 

B. C. 960. 1-jongs, xiv. 

1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 

2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise 
thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam ; and get 
thee to Shiloh : behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me 
that I should be king over this people. 

3 And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of 
honey, and go to him : he shall tell thee what shall become of the 
child. 

4 And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and 
came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes 
were set by reason of his age. 

5 IT And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam 
cometh to ask a thing of thee for ber son ; for he is sick: thus and 
thus shalt thou say unto her : for it shall be, when she cometh in, 
that she shall feign herself to be another woman* 

6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she 
came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam ; 
why feignest thou thyself to be another : For I am sent to thee with 
heavy tidings. 

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch 
as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over 
my people Israel, 

8 And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave 
it thee : and yet thou hast not been as my servant David who kept my 
commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that 
only which teas right in mine eyes ; 

9 But hast done evil above all that were before thee : for thou hast 
gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to 
anger, and hast cast me behind thy back : 

10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jerobo- 
am, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, 
and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the 
remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it 
be all gone. 

11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat ; and ! 
him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord 
hath spoken it. 

12 Arise thou, therefore, get thee to thine own house ; and when 
thy feet enter into the city the child shall die. 

13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him ; for he only 
of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found 
some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jero- 
boam. 



Jeroboam. Rehoboam. Abijah. 19 



14 Moreover, the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who 
shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day : but what ? even now. 

15 For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the 
water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land which he gave 
to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they 
have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. 

16 And he shall give Israel up, because of the sins of Jeroboam, 
who did sin, and who made Israel to sin. 

17 *~ And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tir- 
zah : and when she came to the threshold of the door the child 
died. 

IS And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, accord- 
ing to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of his ser- 
vant Ahijah the prophet. 

2 chronicles, xti. B. C. 958. 

15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written 
in the book of Shemaiah tbe prophet, and of Iddo the seer, concern- 
ing genealogies ? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jero- 
boam continually, 

16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the 
city of David : and Abijah his son reigned in his stead. 

2 chronicles, xiii. 

Abijah, succeeding, maketh war against Jeroboam, and overccmeth 

him. 

1 Now, in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, began Abijah to 
reign over Judah. 

1 KING?, xv. 

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done 
before him : and his heart was not perfect with the Lord rfls God, as 
the heart of David his father. 

2 CHRONICLES, xiii. B. C. 957* 

2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem : (his mother's name also 
was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah :) and there was war 
between Abijah and Jeroboam. 

3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men 
of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men : Jeroboam also set 
the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen 
men, being mighty men of valor. 

I 4 IT And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount 
Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel : 

5 Ought ye not to know, that the Lord God of Israel gave the 
kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by 

I a covenant of salt ? 

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son 
. of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. 

7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Be- 



20 



Jeroboam. Abijah. 



lial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam, the son of 
Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could 
not withstand them. 

8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the 
hand of the sons of David : and ye be a great multitude, and there are 
with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods. 

9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, 
and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the 
nations of other lands ? so that whosever cometh to consecrate him- 
self with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest 
of them that are no gods. 

10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken 
him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of 
Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business. 

11 And they burn unto the Lord, every morning and every even- 
ing, burnt sacrifices and sweet incense : the shew-bread also sef they 
in order upon the pure table ; and the candlestick of gold with the 
lamps thereof, to burn every evening : for we keep the charge of the 
Lord our God ; but ye have forsaken him. 

12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his 
priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. children 
of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye 
shall not prosper. 

13 IT But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind 
them : so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind 
them. 

14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and 
behind ; and the}" cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with 
the trumpet. 

15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah 
shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before 
Abijah and Judah. 

16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah : and God delivered 
them into their hand. 

17 * And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter : 
so there fell down slain of Israel rive hundred thousand chosen men. 

18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time end 
the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord 
God of their fathers. 

19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him ; 
Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, 
and Ephraim with the towns thereof. 

20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abi- 
jah : and the Lord struck him, and he died. 

21 IT But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and 
begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. 

22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his sayings, 
are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. 



* History affords few parallels to the slaughter made in this hattle. Haifa mil- 
lion souls called from the field of blood to receive their endless reward according to 
the deeds done here in the body ! How solemn the thought ! 



Asa. Nadab. Baasha. 



21 



2 chronicles, xiv. B. C. 955. 

1 So Abijali slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city 
of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land 
was quiet ten years. 

2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the 
Lord his God. 

3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high 
places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves; 

-i And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, 
and to do the law and the commandment. 

5 Also he took away, out of all the cities of Judah, the high places 
and the images; and the kingdom was quiet before him. 

6 IT And he built fenced cities in Judah : for the land had rest, and 
he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest. 

7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make 
about them walls and towers, gates and bars, while the land is yet 
before us;. because we have sought the Lord our God, we have 
sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side : so they built 
and prospered. 

8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of 
Judah three hundred thousand, and out of Benjamin, that bare shields 
and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand : all these were 
might}^ men of valor. 

1 kings, xv. B. C. 952. 

25 !7 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in 
the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two 
years. 

26 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way 
of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 

27 II And Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, con- 
spired against him : and Baasha smote him at Gibberthon, which 
belongeth to the Philistines ; (for Nadab and ail Israel laid seige to 
Gibberthon ;) 

28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, 
and reigned in his stead. 

29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote a.! I the 
house of Jeroboam ; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until 
he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the Lord, which 
he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite : 

SO Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he 
made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord 
I God of Israel to anger. 

34 And Baasha did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the 
way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 

2 chroxicles, xiv. B. C. 942. 

h 9 IT And there came out against Judah Zerah the Ethiopian, with 
an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, and came 
unto Mareshah. 



22 



Asa. Oded the Prophet. 



10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array 
in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 

11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is 
nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have 
no power : help us, Lord our God ; for we rest on thee, and in thy 
name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God ; let 
not man prevail against thee. 

12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah ; 
and the Ethiopians fled. 

13 And Asa, and the people that were with him, pursued them unto 
Gerar : and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not 
recover themselves ; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and 
before his host : and they carried away very much spoil. 

14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar ; for the fear of 
the Lord came upon them : and they spoiled all the cities; for there 
was exceeding much spoil in them. 

15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and 
camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. 

2 CHRONICLES, XV. 

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded. 

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, 
Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin : The Lord is with you while ye 
be with him : and if ye seek him, he will be found of you : but if ye 
forsake him, he will forsake you. 

3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, 
and without a teaching priest, and without law. 

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of 
Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 

5 And in those times there teas no peace to him that went out, nor 
to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabit- 
ants of the countries. 

6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city : for God did 
vex them with all adversity. 

7 Be ye strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak ; for 
your work shall be rewarded. 

8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded 
the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out 
of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he 
had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord 
that was before the porch of the Lord. 

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with 
them out of Ephraim andJYIanasseh, and out of Simeon : (for they fell to 
him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his 
God was with him :) 

10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third 
month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.* 

And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which 
they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand sheep. 



* B. C. 941. Mr. Townsend, 944: yet he makes Asa begin to reign 955, which 
would make it only the 11th year of his reign. Here again his date is erroneous. 



Asa. Baasha. Hanani the Seer. 



23 



12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their 
fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul ; 

13 That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should 
be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 

14 And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with 
shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. 

15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath ; for they had sworn with all 
their heart, and sought him with their whole desire ; and he was 
found of them : and the Lord gave them rest round about. 

16 IT And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, 
he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in 
a grove : and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at 
the brook Kidron. 

17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel : never- 
theless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. 

18 IT And he brought into the house of God the things that his 
father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and 
gold, and vessels. 

19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of 
the reign of Asa. 

1 kings, xv. B. C. 930. 

17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ra- 
man, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of 
Judah. 

2 CHRONICLES, XVI. 

2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the 
house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad 
king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, 

3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between 
my father and thy father : behold, I have sent thee silver and gold ; 
go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart 
from me. 

4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains 
of his armies against the cities of Israel ; and they smote Ijon,and Dan, 

' and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 

5 And it came to pass w r hen Baasha heard it, that he left off build- 
ing of Ramah, and let his work cease. 

6 Then Asa the king took ail Judah ; and they carried away the 
' stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was a 

building : and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah. 

7 IT And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, 
and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and 
not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of 
Syria escaped out of thine hand. 

.8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very 
many chariots and horsemen ? yet, because thou didst rely on the 
Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. 

9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole 
earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is per- 



24 



Asa. Elah. Zimri. 



feet toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly ; therefore from 
henceforth thou shalt have wars. 

10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison- 
house : for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And 
Asa oppressed some of the people the same time. 

1 KINGS, XVI. 

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, 

against Eaasha, saying, 

2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee 
prince over my people Israel, and thou bast walked in the way of 
Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to 
anger with their sins : 

3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the poster- 
ity of his house ; and will make thy house like the house of Jerobo- 
am, the son of Nebat. 

4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat ; and him 
that dieth of his in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. 

6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah : and 
Elah his son reigned in his stead. 

7 And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, 
came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, 
even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, in provok- 
ing him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house 
of Jeroboam ; and because he killed him. 

8 If Id the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah 3 
the son of Baasha, to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. 

9 And his servant Zimri (captain of half his chariots) conspired 
against him as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house 
of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah. 

10 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the 
twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his 
stead. 

11 II And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he 
sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha : he left him 
not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks nor of his 
friends. 

12 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to 
the word of the Lord, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the 
prophet, 

13 For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by 
which they sinned, and b}^ which they made Israel to sin, in pro- 
voking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 

14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they 
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 

15 IT In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did 
Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah ; and the people -were encamped 
against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 

16 And the people thai were encamped heard say, Zimri hath con- 
spired, and hath also slain the king : wherefore all Israel made Omri 3 
the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 



Asa, Omri. AJiab. 



25 



17 And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, 
and they besieged Tirzah. 

18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, 
that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's 
house over him with fire, and died, 

19 For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the 
Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he 
did, to make Israel sin. 

21 r Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts : half 
of the people followed Tibni, the son of Ginath, to make him king; 
and half followed Omri. 

22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people 
that followed Tibni, the son of Ginath : so Tibni died, and Omri 
reigned. 

23 * IT In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah, began Omri 
to reign over Israel, twelve years : six years reigned he in Tirzah. 

24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of 
silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he 
built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. 

25 IF But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did 
worse than all that were before him. 

26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 
and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord 
God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 

28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria : and 
Ahab his son reigned in his stead. 

29 f IT And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah, be- 
gan Ahab, the son of Omri, to reign over Israel : and Ahab, the son 
of Omri, reigned over Israel in Samaria, twenty and two years. 

30 And Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord 
above all that were before him. 

31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to 
walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. that he took to wife 
Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went 
and served Baal, and worshipped him, 

32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which 
he had built in Samaria. 

33 And Ahab made a grove ; and Ahab did more to provoke the 
Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were 
before him. 

34 % In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho : he laid the 
foundation thereof in Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates 
thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the 
Lord, which he spake by Joshua, the son of Nuq. 

2 CHRONICLES, XVI. 

12 And Asa, in the thirty and ninth year of his reign, was diseased 
in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great : yet in his disease 
he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. 

13 I IT And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and forti^ 
eth year of his reign. 



* B. C. 924. 

2 * 



f B. C. 918. 



1 B, C. 914, 



26 Jehosliaphat. Elijah the Prophet, 



14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had 
made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which 
was filled with sweet odors, and diverse kinds of spices prepared by 
the apothecaries' art ; and they made a very great burning for 
him , 

2 CHRONICLES, XVII, 

1 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened 
nimself against Israel. 

2 And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set 
garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which 
Asa his father had taken. v, 

3 And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the 
first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim ; 

4 But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his 
commandments, and not after the doings of Israel : 

5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand ; and all 
Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents ; and he had riches and honor 
in abundance. 

6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord : moreover, 
he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. 

7 * IT Also, in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even 
to Ben-hail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and 
to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 

8 And with them he sent Levites, even Shernaiah, and Nethaniah, 
and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and 
Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, Levites ; and with them 
Elishama and Jehoram, priests. 

9 And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the 
Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, 
and taught the people. 

B. C. 910. 1 EUNTG3, XVII. 

Elijah, prophesying against Ahab, is sent to Cherith, where the ra- 
vens feed him : he is sent to the widow of Zarephath : he raiseth 
the widow's son, 

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who teas of the inhabitants of Gilead, 
said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I 
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to 
my word. 

2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the 
brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook ; and I have 
commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 

5 So lie went, and did according unto the word of the Lord : for 
he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and 
bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 



B. C. 911. 



Elijah, and the woman of Zarephath. 27 



7 And it came to pass, after a while, that the brook dried up, be- 
cause there had been no rain in the land. 

8 * IT And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and 
dwell there : behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to 
sustain thee. 

10 So he arose, and went to Zarephath : and when he came to the 
gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of 
sticks ; and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little 
water in a vessel, that I may drink. 

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, 
Bring rne, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 

12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, 
but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruise ; and, be- 
hold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me 
and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not ; go and do as thou hast 
said : but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, 
and after make for thee and for thy son : 

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall 
not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the 

! Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. 

15 And she went, and did according to the saying of Elijah : and 
| she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil 
fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. 

17 t IT And it came to pass, after these things, that the son of the 
woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick ; and his sickness was so 
sore, that there was no breath left in him. 

18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I done to thee, O thou 
man of God? Art thou come unto me to call ray sin to remembrance, 
and to slay my son ? 

19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out 
of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft where he abode, and laid 
him upon his own bed. 

20 And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast 
thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slay- 
ing her son ? 

21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried 
unto the Lord, and said, Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's 
soul come into him again. 

22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the 
child came into him again, and he revived. 

23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the 
chamber into the house and delivered him unto his mother : and Eli- 

e jah said, See, thy son liveth ! 

24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou 
art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is 
truth. 

m r, ■ " 

1 kings, xviii. B. C. 906. 

1 And it came to pass, after many days, that the word of the Lord 



* B. C. 909. 



j B. C. 907. 



28 



Elijah. Obadiah. Ahab. 



came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go shew thyself unto Ahab ; 
and I will send rain upon the earth. 

2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab : and there was a 
sore famine in Samaria. 

3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house: 
(now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly ; 

4 Eor it was so. when Jezebel cutoff the prophets of the Lord, 
that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a 
cave, and fed them with bread and water :) 

5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains 
of water, and unto all brooks; peradventure we may find grass to 
save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 

6 So they divided the land between them, to pass throughout it : 
Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by 
himself. 

7 IF And as Obadiah was in the wajs behold, Elijah met him : and 
he knew him. and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that mv lord 
Elijah? 

8 And he answered him, I am : go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is 
here. 

9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldst deliver thy 
servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me ? 

10 As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom 
whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee : and when they said, He 
is not there, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found 
thee not. 

11 And now thou sayest, Go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is 
here. 

12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that 
the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not : and so, 
when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot rind thee, he shall slay me : 
but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. 

13 Y>~as it not told my lord what I did, when Jezebel slew the 
prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord's 
prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water ? 

14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here : 
and he shall slay me. 

15 And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I 
stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to-day. 

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him : and Ahab went 
to meet Elijah. 

IT And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto 
him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel ? 

18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel ; but thou and thy 



Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. 

19 Now, therefore, send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount 
Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the 



prophets together unto mount Carmel. 

21 51 And Elijah came untq all the people, and said, How long halt 



father's house, in that \ 



iken the commandments of the 



prophets of the groves four 
20 So Ahab sent unto aj 



which eat at Jezebel's table, 
ren of Israel, and gathered the 



Elijah confounds the false Prophets, 



29 



ye between two opinions ? If the Loud be God, follow him : but if 
Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a 
prophet of the Lord ; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty 
men. 

23 Let them, therefore, give us two bullocks ; aDd let them choose 
one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, 
and put no fire under ; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it 
on wood, and put no fire under : 

24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the 
name of the Lord ; and the god that answereth by fire let him be 
God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 

25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bul- 
lock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many: and call on 
the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they 
dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until 
noon, saying, Baal, hear us! But there teas no voice, nor any that 
answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 

27 And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them, and said, 
Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, 
or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be 
awaked. 

28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, after their manner, 
with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 

29 And it came to pass, when mid-day was past, and they prophe- 
sied until the time of the offering of the evening; sacrifice, that there 
was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 

30 r And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And 
all the people came near unto him ; and he repaired the altar of the 
Lord that teas broken down. 

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the 
tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, 
saying, Israel shall be thy name ; 

32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: 
and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two 
measures of seed. 

33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, 
and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and 
pour it on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the wood. 

34 And he said, Do it'the second time : and they did it the second 
time. And he said, Do it the third time : and they did it the third 
time. 

35 And the water ran round about the altar ; and he filled the 
trench also with water. 

36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening 
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art 
God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all 
these things at thy word. 

37 Hear me, Lord, hear me ; that this people may know that 
thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back 
again. 



30 Elijah. Jezebel 

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacri- 
fice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the 
water that was in the trench. 

39 And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces ; and 
they said, The Lord, he is the God ; the Lord, he is the God. 

40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal ; let not 
one of them escape. And they took them, and Elijah brought them 
down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 

41 IT And Elijah said unto Ahab. Get thee up, eat and drink ; for 
there is a sound of abundance of rain. 

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink : and Elijah went up to the 
top of Carmel ; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his 
face between his knees, 

43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And 
he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go 
again seven times. 

44 And it came to pass, at the seventh time, that he said. Behold, 
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he 
said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, 
that the rain stop thee not. 

45. And it came to pass, in the mean while, that the heaven was 
black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab 
rode, and went to Jezreel. 

46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah ; and he girded up his 
loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 

B. C. 906. 1 kings, xix. 

Elijah, threatened by Jezebel, fieeth to Beer-sheba : he is comfort- 
ed by an angel. God sendeth him to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and 
Elisha. Elisha follow etk Elijah. 

1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal, how 
he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the 
gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one 
of them, by to-morrow about this time. 

3 And when he saw thai, he arose, and went for his life, and came | 
to Beer-sheba, which belong eth to Judah, and left his servant j 
there. fi 

4 IT But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and 
came and sat down under a juniper tree : and he requested for him-[i 
self that he might die ; and said, it is enough ; now, O Lord, takeM 
away my life : for I am not better than my fathers. 

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper-tree, behold, then an 
angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 

6 And he looked, -and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals,, 
and a cruise of water at his head ; and he did eat and drink, and laid ! 
him down again. 

7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and 
touched him, and said, Arise and eat ; because the journey is too great 
for thee. 

8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of 



Elijah. Elisha, 



that meat forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb, the mount of 
God. 

9 IT And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there ; and, be- 
hold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, "What 
doest thou here, Elijah ? 

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of 
' hosts : for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown 

down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword : and I, even 
I only, am left ; and they seek my life, to take it away. 

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the 
Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong 

j wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks, before the 
! Lord ; but the Lord icas not in the wind : and after the wind an 
earthquake ; but the Lord was not in the earthquake : 

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord icas not in the 
■j fire : and after the fire a still small voice. 

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face 
in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave : 
and, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What dost thou 
here, Elijah ? 

14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of 
■ I hosts ; because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant^ 

thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword : 
and I, even I only, am left ; and they seek my life, to take it away. 

15 And the Lord saicl unto him, Go, return on thy way to the 
I wilderness of Damascus : and, when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be 
I king over Syria : 

16 And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over 
I Israel; and Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-meholah, shalt thou 

anoint to be prophet in thy room. 

17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of 
I Hazael shall Jehu slay ; and him that escapeth from the sword of 

Jehu shall Elisha slay. 

18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which 
. i have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed 
. him. 

19 II So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, 
5 I who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he 
||j with the twelfth : and Elijah passed by him. and cast his mantle upon 

him/ 

||| 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I 
. ■ pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow 
; thee. And he said unto him, Go back again : for what have I done 
to thee ? 

a 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew 
them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and 
;, gave unto the people, and they did eat : then he arose, and went after 
id Elijah, and ministered unto him. 

2 chronicles, xvii. B. C. 905. 

10 IT And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the 
lands that were round about Judah. so that they made no war against 
Jehoshaphat. 



32 Jehoshaphat. Benhadacl. Ahab. 



11 Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and 
tribute silver ; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand 
and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he- 
goats. 

12 If And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly ; and he built in 
Judah castles, and cities of store. 

13 And he had much business in the cities of Judah : and the men 
of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem. 

14 And these are the numbers of them, according to the house of 
their fathers: Of Judah, the captain of thousands, Adnah the chief, 
and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand. 

15 And next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two 
hundred and four score thousand. 

16 And next him teas Amaziah, the son of Zichri. who willingly- 
offered himself unto the Lord ; and with him two hundred thousand 
mighty men of valor. 

17 And of Benjamin ; Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him 
armed men with bow and shield, two hundred thousand. 

18 And next him teas Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and 
fourscore thousand ready prepared for the war. 

19 These waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in 
the fenced cities throughout all Judah. 

B. C. 901. 1 KINGS, xx. 

Ben-hadad besiegeth Sa?naria. The Syrians are slain, Ahab 
dismisseth Ben-hadad : a jirophet reproveth him. 

1 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together ; 
and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chari- 
ots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. 

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and 
said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, 

3 Thy silver and thy gold is mine : thy wives also and thy children, 
even the goodliest, are mine. 

4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, king, ac- 
cording to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. 

5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben- 
hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt 
deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, "and thy chil- i 
dren ; 

6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, 
and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants;' 
and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes they shall 
put it in their hand, and take it away. 

7 Then the king of Israel called' all the elders of the land, and 
said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief : for 
he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, 
and for my gold, and I denied him not. 

8 And all the elders, and all the people, said unto him, Hearken 
not unto him, nor consent. 

9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my 
lord the king, All thai thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I 



Aliah. Benhadad. 



33 



will do : but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, 
and brought him word again. 

10 And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto 
me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfals for 
all the people that follow me. 

11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him. Let not 
; him that girdeth on his harness boast himself, as he that putteth 
1 it off. 

12 And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, (as 
I he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions,) that he said unto 

his servants, Set yourselves in array : and they set themselves in 
array against the city. 

13 IT And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, 
savins:, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multi- 

f tu'de ? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day : and thou 
i shalt know that I am the Lord. 

14 And Ahab said, By whom ? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, 
Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he 

I said, Who shall order the battle ? And he answered, Thou. 

15 Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the prov- 
I inces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two : and after them he 
jl numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven 

thousand. 

16 And they went out at noon : but Ben-hadad was drinking him- 
self drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two 
kings that helped him. 

17 And the youns; men of the princes of the provinces went out 
first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are 
men come out of Samaria. 

18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them 
alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. 

19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out 
of the city, and the army which followed them. 

20 And they slew every one his man : and the Syrians fled, and 
Israel pursued them ; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on 
an horse with the horsemen. 

21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and 
chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. 

22 V And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto 
him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark and see what thou doest : for 
at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against 
thee. 

23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods 
are gods of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we : but let 

I us tight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger 
' than they. 

II 24 And do this thing ; Take the kings away, every man out of his 
place, and put captains in their rooms, 

25 And number thee an army like the army that thou hast lost, 
horse for horse, and chariot for chariot : and we will fight against 
them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And 
he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. 

26 And it came to pass, at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad 

3 



34 



Aliah, Benliadad. 



numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Is- 
rael. 

27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all 
present, and went against them : and the children of Israel pitched 
before them like two little flocks of kids : but the Syrians rilled the 
country. 

2S IT And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king ol 
Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have 
said. The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys : 
therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and 
ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days: and 
so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined : and the 
children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen 
in one day. 

30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city ; and there a wall fell 
upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And 
Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. 

31 IT And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard 
that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings : let us, I 
pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and 
go out to the king of Israel: perad venture he will save thy life. 

32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their 
heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben- 
hadad saith, I pray thee let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive : 
he is my brother. 

33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would 
come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother 
Ben-hadad. Then he said. Go ye. bring him. Then Ben-hadad 
came forth to him ; and he caused him to come up into the cha- 
riot. 

34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities which my father 
took from thy father I will restore ; and thou shalt make streets for 
thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then, saidAhah. 
I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant 
with him, and sent him away. 

35 t And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his 
neighbor in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the. 
man refused to smite him. 

36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice 
of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me a lion 
shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him a lion 
found him, and slew him. 

37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. 
And the man smote him. so that in smuins; he wounded him. 

38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the wav, 
and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 

39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king ; and he said. 
Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle ; and, behold, a 
man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this 
man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his 
life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 



* B. C. 900. 



Ahab. Naboth. 



35 



40 And as thy servant was busy here and there he was gone. 
And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be ; thy- 
self hast decided it. 

41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face ; and the 
kins; of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 

42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast 
let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, 

4 therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. 

43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, 
and came to Samaria. 

1 kijsgs, xxi. B. C. 899. 

1 And it came to pass, after these things, that Naboth the Jez- 
reelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of 
Ahab king of Samaria. 

2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, 
that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my 
house, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it 
seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 

3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should 
give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. 

4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased, because of 
the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him ; for he had 
said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers : and he laid 
him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no 

' bread. 

5 IF But Jezebel his wife carne to him, and said unto him, Why is 
! thy spirit so sad, that thon eatest no bread? 

6 And he said unto her. Because I >pakp. nnto Naboth the Jez- 
J reelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money ; or else, 

rp] if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he an- 
• swered, I will not give thee my vineyard. 

7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the 
fty kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be 

merry ; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 
i 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his 
i\i seal, and sent the letters unto the elders, and to the nobles, that were 

in his city dwelling with Naboth. 

9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set 
B q Naboth on high among the people ; 

10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness 
against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king: and 

!• | then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. 

11 And the men of his city, even the elders, and the nobles, who 
\ were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, 

and as it teas written in the letters which she had sent unto them : 

12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the 
people. 

13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before 
him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Na- 
both, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme 
God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and 
stoned him with stones, that he died. 



36 



Ahah. Elijah. 



14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying. Naboth is stoned, and is 
dead. 

15 IF And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was 
stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take posses- 
sion of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to 
give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. 

16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead 3 
that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jez- 
reelite, to take possession of it. 

IT IT And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, say- 
ing, * - 

IS Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Sama- 
ria : behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone 
down to possess it. 

19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 
Hast thou killed, and also taken possession ? And thou shalt speak 
unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, in the place- where dogs 
licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. 

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy ? 
And he answered, I have found thee. Because thou hast sold thy- 
self to work evil in the sight of the Lord, 

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy 
posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the 
wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, 

22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam, the son 
of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, for the 
provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made 
Israel to sin. 

23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat 
Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat ; and him 
that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. 

25 IF But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to 
work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife 
stirred up. 

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all 
things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the 
children of Israel. 

27 If And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he 
rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay 
in sackcloth, and went softly. 

28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 

29 JSeest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me ? Because 
he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days ; 
but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. 

B. C. 897. 2 chronicles, xviii. 

Jehoshaphat and Ahab go up against Ramoth-gilead. Mab's 
false prophets assure hi?n ofvktory. Mieaiah's prophecy, fyc. 
1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and joined 

affinity" with Ahab. 



* This affinitv nearlv ruined the house of David, as we shall see in the succeed- 



Jehosliaphat. Ahab. Micaiah. 



37 



2 And after certain years he went clown to Ahab to Samaria: and 
Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the peo- 
ple that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to 
Rarnoth-gilead. 

3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 
Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead ? And he answered him, I 
am as thou art, and my people as thy people ; and we will be with 
thee in the war. 

4 "7 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray 
thee, at the word of the Lord to-day. 

5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four 
hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to 
battle, or shall I forbear ? And they said, Go up ; for God will deliver 
it into the king's hand. 

6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord 
besides, that we might inquire of him ? 

7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat r There is yet one 
man by whom we may inquire of the Lord : but 1 hate him ; for 
he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil : the same is 
Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king 
say so. 

8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, 
Fetch quickly Micaiah, the son of Imla. 

9 And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, sat 
either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a 
void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria ; and all the 
prophets prophesied before them. 

10 And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, had made him horns of 
iron, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push 
Syria, until they be consumed. 

11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth- 
gilead, and prosper; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of 
the king. 

12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, 
saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king 
with one assent : let thy word, therefore, I pray thee, be like one of 
theirs, and speak thou good. 

13 And Micaiah said. As the Lord liveth,even what my God saith 
that will I speak. 

14 And, when he was come to the king, the king Faid unto him, 
Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, -or shall I forbear? 
And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into 
your hand. 

15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee, 
that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the 
Lord ? 

16 Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, 
as sheep that have no shepherd : and the Lord said, 7'hese have no. 
master ; let them return, therefore, every man to his house in 
peace. 

17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee 
that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil ? 

*8 Again he said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord ; I saw 

3 * 



38 



Ahab slain. 



the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing 
on his right hand, and on his left. 

19 And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that 
he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead ? And one spake, saying after 
this manner, and another saying after that manner. 

20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and 
said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith ? 

21 And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth 
of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, 
and thou shalt also prevail : go out, and do even so. 

22 Now, therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the 
mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against 
thee. 

23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near, and smote 
Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the 
Lord from me to speak unto thee ? 

24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when 
thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 

25 Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him 
back to Arnon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's 
son ; 

26 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and 
feed him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, until I 
return in peace. 

27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath 
not the Lord spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people. 

28 So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, went 
up to Kamoth-gilead. 

29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise 
myself, and will go to the battle ; but put thou on thy robes. So the 
king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to the battle. 

30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the 
chariots that ivere with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, 
save only with the king of Israel. 

31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw 
Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel ; therefore they 
compassed about him to fight : but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the 
Lord helped him ; and God moved them to depart from him. 

32 For it came to pass, that, wuien the captains of the chariots 
perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again 
from pursuing him. 

33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the 
king of Israel between the joints of the harness : therefore he said to 
his chariot-man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of 
the host ; for I am wounded. 

34 And the battle increased that day : howbeit the king of Israel 
stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even ; 
and about the time of the sun going down he died. 

2 KI]NGS, XXII. 

36 And there went a proclamation throughout the host, about the 
going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every 
man to his own country. 



Jehoshaphat. Ahaziah. 



39 



37 *~ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria ; and they bu- 
ried the king in Samaria. 

3S And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the 
dogs licked up his blood, (and they washed his armor,) according 
unto the word of the Lord which he spake. 

40 So Ahab slept with his fathers ; and Ahaziah his son reigned in 
his stead. 

2 CHRONICLES, XIX. 

1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in 
peace to Jerusalem. 

2 And Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer, went out to meet him, 
and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and 
love them that hate the Lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from 
before the Lord. 

3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou 
hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine 
heart to seek God. 

] kings, xxii. B. C. 897. 

51 IT Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Sa- 
maria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and 
reigned two years over Israel. 

52 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the 
way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of 
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 

53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to an- 
ger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had 
done. 

2 chronicles, xx. B. C. 896. 

35 If And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself 
with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly. 

36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tar- 
shish : and they made the ships in Ezion-gaber. 

37 Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah, prophesied 
against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with 
Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were 
broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. 

2 kings, i. 

1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 

2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber 
that was in Samaria, and was sick : and he sent messengers and said 
unto them, Go, inquire of Eaal-zebub the god of Ekron, whether I 
shall recover of this disease. 

3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go 
up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, 
Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of 
Baal-zebub the God of Ekron ? 



40 



Elijah. Ahaziah. Jehoram. 



4 Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down 
from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And 
Elijah departed. 

5 IT And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto 
them, Why are ye now turned back? 

6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said 
unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, J 
Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that J 
thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron ? therefore I 
thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, J 
but shalt surely die. 

7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came 1 
up to meet you, and told you these words ? 

8 And they answered him, He teas an hairy man, and girded with a i 
girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tish- 
bite. 

9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And 
he went up to him : (and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill.) { 
And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come | 
down. 

10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a 
man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee 
and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and con- 
sumed him and his fifty. 

11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his 
fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus 
hath the king said, Come down quickly. 

12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, - 
let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. - 
And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and 
his fifty. 

13 II And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. 
And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees 
before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, man of God, I 
pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty, thy servants, be 
precious in thy sight. 

14 'Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the 
two captains of the former fifties with their fifties : therefore let my I 
life now be precious in thy sight. I 

15 And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with I 
him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him 
unto the king. 

16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou I 
hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, Is it I 
not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word ? there- 
fore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, j 
but shalt surely die. 

17 * U So he died according to the word of the Lord winch Elijah .] 
had spoken : and Jehoram reigned in his stead, in the second year of 
Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judahy because he had no l 
son. 



* B. C. 826, 



Elijah taken to Heaven. 



41 



2 KI>~GS, II. 

1 And it came to pa??, when the Lord would take up Elijah into 
heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 

2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the 
Lord hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the 
Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they 
went down to Beth -el. 

3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth -el came forth to 
Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take 
away thy master from thy head to-day ? And he said, Yea, I know 
it ; hold ye your peace. 

4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee ; for 
the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, 
and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to 
Jericho. 

5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, 
and said unto hirn, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy 
master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; 
hold ye your peace. 

6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here ; for the 
Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, 
and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went 
on. 

7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view 
afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 

S And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote 
the waters, and they were divided hither and thither : so that they 
two went over on dry ground. 

9 If And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah 
said unto Elisha. Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away 
from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy 
spirit be upon me. 

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing : nevertheless, if 
thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee : but 
if not, it shall not be so. 

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, be- 
hold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted 
them both asunder ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into 
heaven. 

12 *~ And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father ! the 
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no 
more : and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two 
pieces. 

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and 
went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan : 

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote 
the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? And when 
he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and 
Elisha went over. 

15 % And when the sons of the prophets, which were to view at 
Jericho, saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. 



42 



ElisTia. Jehoshaphat. 



And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground 
before him : 

16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants 
fifty strong- men ; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master ; 
lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast 
him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall 
not send. 

17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. 
They sent, therefore, fifty men ; and they sought three days, but 
found him not. 

18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) 
he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not ? 

19 IT And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, 
the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth : but the water 
is naught, and the ground barren. 

-20 And he said, Bring me a new cruise, and put salt therein : and 
they brought it to him. 

21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the 
salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these 
waters : there shall not be from thence any more dearth or barren 
land. 

22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the say- 
ing of Elisha which he spake. 

23 IT And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was 
going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, 
and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald-head ; go up, 
thou bald-head. 

24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in 
the name of the Lord : and there came forth two she-bears out of the 
wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 

25 And he went, from thence to mount Ca-rmel ; aad from thoocQ 
he returned to Samaria. 

B. C. 896. 2 CHRONICLES, XIX. 

4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem : and he went out again 
through the people, from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought 
them back unto the Lord God of their fathers. 

5 IT And he set judges in the land, throughout ail the fenced cities 
of Judah, city by city, 

6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do : for ye judge not 
for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. 

7 Wherefore now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you ; take heed 
and do it : for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect 
of persons, nor taking of gifts. 

8 H Moreover, in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and 
of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judg- 
ment of the Lord, and for controversies, when they returned to Jeru- 
salem. 

9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of 
the Lord faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 

10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that 



Jehoram. Jehoshaphat. 43 



dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and com- 
mandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that 
they trespass not against the Lord, and so wrath come upon you, and 
upon your brethren : this do, and ye shall not trespass. 

11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters 
of the Lord ; and Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the 
house of Judah, for all the king's matters : also the Levites shall be 
officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with 
the good. 

2 KINGS, III. 

1 Now Jehoram, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel io 
Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and 
reigned twelve years. 

2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his 
father, and like his mother ; for he put away the image of Baal that 
his father had made. 

3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam, the son of 
Nebat, which made Israel to sin ; he departed not therefrom. 

4 * H And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep- master, and rendered 
unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs* and an hundred 
thousand rams, with the wool. 

5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab 
rebelled against the king of Israel. 

6 IT And. king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and 
numbered all Israel. 

7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying. 
The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me? 
against Moab to battle ? And he said, I will go up : I am us thou art, 

j my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses. 

8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, 
the way through the wilderness of Edom. 

9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king 
of Edom ; and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey : and 
there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed 

: them. 

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called 
these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! 

; 11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, 
that we may inquire of the Lord by him ? And one of the king of 
Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha, the son of Sha- 
phat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. 

12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. 
So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, ^md the king of Edom, went 
down to him. 

13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do 
with thee ? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets 

-* of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay ; for the 
Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the 
; hand of Moab. 



* B. C. 895. 



44 



The Moabiies vanquished. 



14 And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I 
stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat 
the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 

15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the 
minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 

16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of 
ditches : 

17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall 
ye see rain ; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may 
drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 

18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord : he will 
deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 

19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, 
and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar 
every good piece of land with stones. 

20 IF And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat-offering 
was offered, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom ; and 
the country was filled with water. 

21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up 
to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on 
armor, and upward, and stood in the border. 

22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon 
the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as 
blood ; 

23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and 
they have smitten one another; now, therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 

24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose 
up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them : but they 
went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country. 

25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land 
cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells 
of water, and felled all the good trees : only in Kir-haraseth left they 
the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. 

26 IT And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore 
for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to 
break through even unto the king of Edom : but they could not. 

27 Then he took his eldest son, that should have reigned in his 
stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there 
was great indignation against Israel ; and they departed from him, 
and returned to their own land. 

B. C. 894. 2 kings, iv. 

1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the 
prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead ; and 
thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord : and the creditor is 
come to take unto him my two sons to be bond-men. 

2 And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee ? tell me : 
what hast thou in the house ? And she said, Thine handmaid hath 
not any thing in the house save a pot of oil. 

3 Then be said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neigh- 
bors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 

4 And, when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee 



Elisha and the Shunammite. 



45 



and upon thy sons, and sbalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou 
shalt set aside that which is full. 

5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her 
sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. 

6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said 
unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is 
not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 

7 Then she came and told the man of God : and he said, Go, sell 
the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the 
rest. 

8 % And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where 
was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And 
so it was, that, as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat 
bread. 

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this 
is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually. 

10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall ; and 
let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candle- 
stick : and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in 
thither. 

11 And it fell on a day that he came thither, and he turned into the 
chamber, and lay there. 

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And 
when he had called her, she stood before him. 

13 And he said unto him, say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been 
careful for us with all this care ; what is to be done for thee ? 
wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host ? 
And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 

14 And he said, What then is to be done for her ? And Gehazi 
answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 

15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood 
in the door. 

16 And lie said, About this season, according to the time of life, 
thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of 
God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 

' 17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that 
Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. 

18 * U And when the child was grown, it fell on a day that he went 
out to his father to the reapers. 

19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said 
to a la !. Carry him to his mother. 

20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he 
sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 

21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, 
and shut the door upon him, and went out. 

22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray 
thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that 1 may run to 
the man of God, and come again. 



* The child was between three and four years old when it was restored to life, 
and the account of this miracle would have fallen into the year 891 B. C, but the 
harmonv of the story seems more important than the exact chronology. 

4 



46 



Elisha and the Shiinammite. 



23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day ? it is neither 
new-moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 

24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go 
forward ; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 

25 So she went, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel. 
And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he 
said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite : 

26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her ; and say unto her, Is it 
well with thee ? is it well with thy husband i is it well with the 
child ? And she answered, It is well. 

27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught 
him by the feet : but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the 
man of God said, Let her alone ; for her soul is vexed within her : 
and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. 

28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord ? did I not say, Do 
not deceive me ? 

29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in 
thine hand, and go thy way : if thou meet any man, salute him not ; 
and if any salute thee, answer him not again : and lay my staff upon 
the face of the child. 

30 And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as 
thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed 
her. 

31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the 
face of the child ; but there was neither voice nor hearing : where- 
fore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is 
not awaked. 

32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child 
was dead, and laid upon his bed. 

33 He went in, therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and 
prayed unto the- Lord. 

34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth 
upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his 
hands, and he stretched himself upon the child, and the flesh of the 
child waxed warm. 

35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro ; and 
went up, and stretched himself upon him : and the child sneezed 
seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 

36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he 
called her : and when she was come in unto him he said, Take up 
thy son. 

37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the 
ground, and took up her son, and went out. 

38 M And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there teas a dearth in 
the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him : and 
he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for 
the sons of the prophets. 

39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a 
wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lapfull, and came and 
jshred them into the pot of pottage : for they knew them not. 

40 So they poured out for the men to eat : and it came to pass, as 
they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, thou 



Elisha and Naaman. 



47 



man of God, there is death in the pot ; and they could not eat 
thereof. 

41 Bat he said, Then bring meal : and he cast it into the pot; and 
he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat: and there was no 
harm in the pot. 

42 IT And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the 
man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full 
ears of corn in the husk thereof : and he said, Give unto the people 
that they may eat. 

43 And his servitor said, What ! should I set this before an hundred 
men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus 
saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 

44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof 
according to the word of the Lord. 

2 kings, v. B. C. 894. 

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a 
great man with his master, and honorable : because by him the Lord 
had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor; 
but he was a leper. 

2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought 
away captive, out of the land of Israel, a little maid, and she waited 
on Naaman's wife. 

3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were 
with the prophet that is in Samaria ! for he would recover him of his 
leprosy. 

4 And one went in and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the 
maid that is of the land of Israel. 

5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto 
the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents 
of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of rai- 
ment. 

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now, 
when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent 
Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his 
leprosy. 

7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, 
that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make 
alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? 
Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel 
against me. 

8 IT And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the 
king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, 
Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes ? let him come now to me, 
and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood 
at the door of the house of Elisha. 

10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in 
Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou 
shalt be clean. 

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I 
thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the 



48 



Elisha and Naaman. 



name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and 
recover the leper. 

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all 
the waters of Israel ? may I not wash in them and be clean ? So 
he turned, and went away in a rage. 

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My 
father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou 
not have done it ? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 
Wash and be clean ? 

14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, 
according to the saying of the man of God : and his flesh came again 
like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 

15 IT And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, 
and came and stood before him : and he said, Behold, now I know 
that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel ; now, therefore, I 
pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 

16 But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will 
receive none. And he urged him to take it : but he refused. 

17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given 
to thy servant two mules' burden of earth ? for thy servant will 
henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, 
but unto the Lord. 

18 In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my mas- 
ter goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth 
on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon : when I bow 
down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant 
in this thing. 

19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him 
a little way. 

20 IT But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Be- 
hold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at 
his hands that which he brought : but, as the Lord liveth, I will run 
after him, and take somewhat of him. 

21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman : and when Naaman saw him 
running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and 
said, Is all well ? 

22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Be- 
hold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young 
men of the sons of the prophets ; give them, I pray thee, a talent of 
silver, and two changes of garments. 

23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged 
him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of 
garments, and laid e&em upon two of his servants, and they bare the?n 
before him. 

24 And when he came to the tower he took them from their hand, 
and bestowed tliem^n the house ; and he let the men go, and they 
departed. 

25 But he went in, and stood before his master: and Elisha said 
unto him, Whence contest thou, Gehazi ? And he said, Thy servant 
went, no whither. 

26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart ivith thee, when 
the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee ? Is it a time to 



EEs ha. 



receive money, and to receive garments, and olive yards, and vine- 
yards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants ? 

27 The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and 
unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper 
as white as snow. 

2 kings, vi. B. C. 893. 

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the 
place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every 
man a beam, and let us make us a place there where we may dwell. 
And he answered, Go ye. 

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. 
And he answered, I will go. 

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan they 
cut down wood. 

5 But as one was felling a beam, the- axe-head fell into the water : 
and he cried, and said, Alas, master ! for it was borrowed. 

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him 
the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and the 
iron did swim. 

7 Therefore, said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand 
and took it. 

2 kings, viii. B. C. 892. 

1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored 
to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn 
wheresoever thou canst sojourn : for the Lord hath called for a 
famine ; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 

2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of 
God : and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of 
the Philistines seven years. 

2 KINGS, VI. 

8 U Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took coun- 
sel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my 
camp. 

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware 
that thou pass not such a place ; for thither the Syrians are come 

i - down. 

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God 
told him, and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once, nor 
twice. 

11 TP Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for 
this thing ; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye 
not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel ? 

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king : but 
Elisha the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the 
words that thou speakest in thy bed-chamber. 



50 



Elisha, 



13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and 
fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: 
and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 

15 IT And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and 
gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city, both with horses and 
chariots: and his servant said unto him, Alas, my master I how shall | 
we do ? 

16 And he answered, Fear not; for they that be with us are more 
than they that be with them. 

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, -j 
that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; 
and he saw : and, behold, tbe mountain was full of horses and 
chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

IS IT And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the f 
Lord, and said, Smite this people, 1 pray thee, with blindness. And 
he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. 

19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this •] 
the city ; follow me, and i will bring you to the man whom ye seek. 
But he led them to Samaria. 

20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that | 
Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. 
And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw ; and, behold, they \ 
were in the midst of Samaria. 

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My I 
father, shall I smite them? shall 1 smite them? 

22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them : wouldest thou 1 
smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy Sword and with I 
thy bow ? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and 1 
drink, and go to their master. 

23 And he prepared great provision for them : and when they had j 
eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. 
So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 

24 *i\ And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria 
gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 

25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they : 
besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, 1 
and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 

28 Tf And, as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there rj 
cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king ! 

27 And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help 
thee ? out of the barn- floor, or out of the wine-press ? 

28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee ? And she an- : 
swered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat 
him to-day, and we Will eat my son to-morrow. 

29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him : and I said unto her on the 
next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him ; and she hath hid her 
son. 

30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the wo- 
man, that he rent his clothes ; and he passed by upon the wall, and i 
the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his 
flesh. 



Elisha. 



51 



SI Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of 
Elisha, the son of Shaphat, shall stand on him this day. 

32 But Elisha satin his house, and the elders sat with him, and the 
king sent a man from before him : but, ere the messenger came to 
him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath 
sent to take away mine head ? look when the messenger cometh, 
shut the door, and hold him fast at the door : is not the sound of his 
master's feet behind him ? 

33 And, while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger 
came down unto him, and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord, 
what should 1 wait for the Lord any longer ? 

2 KINGS, VII. 

1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord ; Thus saith 
the Lord, To-morrow, about this time, shall a measure of fine flour 
be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the 
gate of Samaria. 

2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man 
of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in 
heaven might this thing be ? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it 
with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. 

3 IT And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the 
gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die ? 

4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the 
city, and we shall die there : and if we sit still here, we die also. 
Now, therefore, come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians : if 
they save us alive, we shall live ; and if they kill us, we shall but 
die. 

5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the 
Syrians : and when they were come to the uttermost part of the 
camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 

6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise 
of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host : and 
they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us 
the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come 
upon us. 

7 Wherefore they arose, and fled in the twilight, and left their 
tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and 
fled for their life. 

8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, 
they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence 
silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it ; and came again, 
and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and 
hid it. 

9 Then they said one to another, We do not well : this day is a 
day of good tidings, and we hold our peace ; if we tarry till the 
morning-light some mischief will come upon us : now, therefore, 
come, that we may go and tell the king's household. 

10 So they came, and called unto the porter of the city ; and they 
told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, 
there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and 
asses tied, and the tents as they were. 



52 



Elisha. Jehoshaphat. 



11 And he called the porters, and they told it to the king's house 
within. 

12 IT And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I 
will now show you what the Syrians have done to us : They know 
that we be hungry, therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide 
themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city 
we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. 

13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I 
pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, 
(behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; be- 
hold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that 
are consumed,) and let us send and see. 

14 They took, therefore, two chariot-horses ; and the king sent 
after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. 

15 And they went after them unto Jordan ; and, lo, all the way 
was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away 
in their haste : and the messengers returned, and told the king. 

16 And the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. 
So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of 
barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. 

17 IT And the king appointed the lord, on whose hand he leaned, to 
have the charge of the gate : and the people trode upon him in the 
gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the 
king came down to him. 

18 And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, 
saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine 
flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow, about this time, in the gate of 
Samaria: 

19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, 
if the Lord should make windows in heaven might such a thing be ? 
And ne said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not 

eat thereof. 

20^ And so it fell out unto him : for the people trode upon him in 
the gate, and he died. 

B. C. 892. 2 CHRONICLES, XX. 

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and 
the children of Ammon, and with them other besides the Ammonites, 
came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 

2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There 
cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, on this 
side Syria ; and, behold, they he in Hazazon-tamar, which is En- 
gedi. 

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and 
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 

4 And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the 
Lord ; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the 
Lord. 

5 IT And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jeru- 
salem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 

6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in 
heaven ? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen ? 



Jehoshaphat. 



53 



and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able 
to withstand thee ? 

7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this 
land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham 
thy friend for ever ? 

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein 
for thy name, saying, 

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pes- 
tilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, 
(for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, 
then thou wilt hear and help. 

19 And now, behold, the children of iVmmon, and Moab, and 
mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they 
came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and de- 
stroyed them not : ^ 

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of 
thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 

12 our God, wilt thou not judge them ? for we have no might 
against this great company that cometh against us ; neither know we 
what to do : but our eyes are upon thee. 

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their 
wives, and their children. 

14 IT Then upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, 
the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite, of the sons of Asaph, 
came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation ; 

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Je- 
rusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat; Thus saith the Lord unto you, 
Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude ; for the 
battle is not yours, but God's. 

16 To-morrow go ye down against them : behold, they come up 
by the cliff of Ziz ; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, 
before the wilderness of Jeruel. 

17 Ye shall not need to right in this battle ; set yourselves, stand 
ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and 
Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against 
them ; for the Lord will be with you. 

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head, with his face to the ground : 
and all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the Lord, 
worshipping the Lord. 

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the 
children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel 
with a loud voice on high. 

20 TF And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the 
wilderness of Tekoah : and, as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and 
said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ; Believe 
in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established ; believe his pro- 
phets, so shall ye prosper. 

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers 
unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they 
went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord ; for his mercy 
endureth forever. 

22 r And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set 



54 Jehoshaphat. Jehoram. 



ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, 
which were come against Judah ; and they were smitten. 

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the in- 
habitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them : and, when 
they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to 
destroy another. 

24 And when Judah came toward the watch-tower in the wilder- 
ness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead 
bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the 
spoil of them, they found among them in abundance, both riches 
with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, (which they stripped off 
for themselves.) more than they could carry away : and they were 
three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 

26 IT And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the 
valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord : therefore the 
name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah unto 
this day. 

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and 
Jehoshaphat in the fore-front of them, to go again to Jerusalem with 
joy: for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 

2S And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and 
trumpets, unto the house of the Lord. 

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, 
when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of 
Israel. 

SO So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave hini 
rest round about. 

31 IT And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty and 
five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and 
five years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Azubah, the 
daughter of Shilhi. 

32 And he walked in the w T ay of Asa his father, and departed not 
from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 

33 Howbeit, the high places were not taken away ; for as yet the 
people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers. 

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold 
they are written in the book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, who is 
mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. 

B. C. 891. 2 CHRONICLES, XXI. 

1 Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his 
fathers in the city of David : and Jehoram his son reigned in his 
stead. 

2 And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and 
Jehiel, and Zechariah, . and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah : 
all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 

3 And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and 
of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah : but the kingdom 
gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born. 

4 Now, when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, 



Jehoram. 



55 



he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, 
and divers also of the princes of Israel. 

5 IT Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, 
and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 

6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the 
house of Ahab ; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife : and he 
wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord. 

7 Kowbeit, the Lord would not destroy the house of David, be- 
cause of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he 
promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever. 

8 IT In his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of 
Judah, and made themselves a king. 

9 Then Jehoram went forth with his princes, and all his chariots 
with him : and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which 
compassed him in, and the captains of the chariots. 

10 So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto 
this day. The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his 
hand; because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 

11 Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and 
caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and com- 
pelled Judah thereto. 

12 IT And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, 
saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou 
hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the 

I ways of Asa king of Judah, 

13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast 
I made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to 

the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren? 
I of thy father's house, which were better than thyself; 

14 Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, 
: and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods. 

15 And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, 
| until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. 

16 IT Moreover, the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit 
I of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethio- 
pians. 

i 17 And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried 
I I, away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his 

sons also, and his wives : so that there was never a son left him, save 

Jehoahaz. the youngest of his sons. 

m 2 kixgs, viii. B. C. 885, 

3 And it came to pass, at the seven years' end, that the woman* 
* i returned out of the land of the Philistines : and she went forth to 

cry unto the king for her house, and for her land. 

4 And the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, 
saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath 

i done. 

5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had 
restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he 
had restored to life, cried to the kins for her house, and for her land. 

g • _ 

* This is the woman whose son Elisha had restored to life. Chap. iv. 3 : viii. 1. 



56 



EH ska. Hazael. 



And Gehazi said, My lord, king, this is the woman, and this is her 
son, whom Elisha restored to life. 

6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the 
king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was 
hers, and all the fruits of the field, since the day that she left the 
land, even until now. 

7 IT And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of 
Syria was sick : and it was told him, saying, The man of God is 
come hither. 

8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, 
and go meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, say- 
ing, Shall I recover of this disease ? 

9 So Hazael went to meet him. and took a present with him, even 
of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels burden, and came and 
stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent 
me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease ? 

10 And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest 
certainly recover : howbeit, the Lord hath shewed me that he shall 
surely die. 

1 1 And he settled his countenance steadfastly until he was ashamed : 
and the man of God wept. 

12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord ? And he answered, 
Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel ; 
their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt 
thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up 
their women with child. 

13 And Hazael said, But what ! is thy servant a dog that he should 
do this great thing ? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed 
me that thou shalt be king over Syria. 

14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said 
to him, What said Elisha to thee ? And he answered, He told me 
that thou shouhlest surely recover. 

15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, 
and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died ; and 
Hazael reigned in his stead. 

B. C. 884. 2 chronicles, xxi. 

13 *~ And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels, with an 
incurable disease. 

19 And it came to pass, that, in process of time, after the end of 
two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness ; so he died 
of sore diseases : and his people made no burning for him, like the 
burning of his fathers. 

20 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and 
he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being 
desired : howbeit, they buried him in the city of David, but not in 
the sepulchres of the kings. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXII. 

1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest 
son king in his stead : for the band of men that came with the Ara- 



Ahaziah. Jehu anointed- 



57 



bians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah, the son of 
Jehoram king of Judah, reigned. 
. 2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign ; 
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem : his mother's name also was 
Athaliah, the daughter of Omri. 

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab : for his mother 
was his counsellor to do wickedly. 

4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house 
of Ahab ; for they were his counsellors, after the death of his father, 
to his destruction. 

5 IT He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram, the 
son of Ahab king of Israel, to war against Hazael king of Syria at 
Ramoth-gilead : and the Syrians smote Joram. 

6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel, because of the wounds 
which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazaei king 
of Syria. 

2 KI> T GS, IX. 

1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, 
and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine 
hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 

2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu, the son of 
Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in. and make him arise up 
from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber : 

3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thu 
saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel : then open t 
door, and flee, and tarry not. 

4 IT So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to 
Ramoth-gilead. 

5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting : 
and he said, I have an errand to thee, captain. And Jehu said, 
Unto which of all us ? And he said, To thee, O captain. 

6 And he arose, and went into the house ; and he poured the oil on 
his head, and sajd unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I 
have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over 
Israel. 

7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may 
avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the 
servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. 

8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish ; and i will cut off 
from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up 
and left in Israel. 

9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, 
the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. 

10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and 
there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door and fled. 

11 * IT Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord : and one 
said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? 

i And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 



5 



* B. C. 884. 



58 



Jehu destroyetli J or am and Ahaziah. 



12 And they said, It is false ; tell us now. And he said, Thus and 
thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed 
thee king over Israel. 

13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it 
under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, sayings 
Jehu is king. 

14 So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired 
against Joram ; (now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all 
Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria : 

15 But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the 
wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with 
Hazael king of Syria;) and Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let 
none go forth nor escape out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. 

16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel ; for Joram lay 
there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. 

17 And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he 
spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. 
And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let 
him say, Is it peace ? 

18 So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus 
saith the king, Is it peace ? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with 
peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The 
messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. 

19 Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, 
and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace ? And Jehu answered. 
What hast thou to do with peace ? turn thee behind me. 

20 And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and 
cometh not again : and the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the 
son of Nimshi ; for he driveth furiously. 

21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. 
And Joram king of Israel, and Ahaziah king of Judah, went out, 
each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in 
the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 

22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it 
peace, Jehu ? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whore- 
doms of thy mother Jezebel, and her witchcrafts, are so many ? 

23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, 
There is treachery, O Ahaziah ! 

24 And Jehu drew' a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram 
between his arms ; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk 
down in hisiifiariot. 

25 Then said Jehu to Eidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him 
in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite : for remember 
how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the 
Lord laid this burden upon him. 

26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the 
blood of his sons, saith the Lord ; and I will requite thee in this plat, 
saith the Lord. Now, therefore, take and cast him into the plat of 
ground, according to the word of the Lord. 

27 IT But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the 
way of the garden-house : and Jehu followed after him, and said, 
Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to 
Gur, which is by lbleam : and he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 



Jehu destroy eth the house of Ahab. 59 



28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and 
buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 

29 And in the eleventh year of Jorain, the son of Ahab, began 
Ahaziah to reign over Judah. 

SO V And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it ; 
and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a 
window : 

31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, 
who slew his master ? 

32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on 
my side ? who ? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 

33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down ; and 
some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses : and 
he trode her under foot. 

34 And when he was come in he did eat and drink, and said, Go, 
see now this cursed woman, and bury her : for she is a king's 
daughter. . 

35 And they went to bury her ; but they found no more of her 
than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 

36 Wherefore they came again, and told him : and he said, This is 
the word of the Lord, which he spake, by his servant Elijah the 
Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of 
Jezebel : 

37 And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of 
the field in the portion of Jezreel ; so that they shall not say, This is 
Jezebel. 

2 ki>~gs, x. 

Jehu causeth seventy of Jlhab's children to be beheaded : he de- 
stroyeth the worshippers of Baal , yet followeth Jeroboam' s sins, 

1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, 
and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to 
them that brought up Ahab's children, saying, 

2 Now, as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's 
sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a 
fenced city also, and armor ; 

3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and 
set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings 
stood not before him ; how then shall we stand ? 

5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, 
I the elders also, and the bringers-up of the children, sent to Jehu, 

saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; 
' we will not make an}?- king : do thou that which, is good in thine 
eyes. 

6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye 
be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of 
the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow 
this time. (Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with 
the great men of the city, which brought them up.) 

7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they 



60 



Jehu, 



took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in 
baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel. 

8 If And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have 
brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in 
two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning. 

9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, 
and said to all the people, Ye be righteous : behold, I conspired 
against my master, and slew him ; but who slew all these ? 

10 Know now, that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the 
word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of 
Ahab : for the Lord hath done that which he spake by his servant 
Elijah. 

11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, 
and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left 
him none remaining. 

12 IT And- he arose and departed, and came to Samaria : and, as he 
was at the shearing-house in the way, 

13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and 
said, Who are ye ? And they answered, We are the brethren of 
Ahaziah ; and we go down to salute the children of the king, and 
the children of the queen. 

14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and 
slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men ; 
neither left he any of them. 

15 IT And, when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab, 
the son of Rechab, coming to meet him ; and he saluted him, and 
said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart ? And 
Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he 
gave him his hand ; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 

16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. 
So they made him ride in his chariot. 

17 And when he came to Samaria he slew all that remained unto 
Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying 
of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah. 

18 IT And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto 
them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much. 

19 Now, therefore, call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his 
servants, and all his priests, let none be wanting; for I have a great 
sacrifice to do to Baal : whosoever shall be wanting he shall not live. 
But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the 
worshippers of Baal. 

20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And 
they proclaimed it. 

21 And Jehu sent through all Israel ; and ail the worshippers of 
Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not: and they 
came into the house of Baal ; and the house of Baal was full from 
one end to another. 

22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth 
vestments for all the worshippers of Baal, And he brought them 
forth vestments. 

23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, into the 
house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search s and 



Jehu. Athaliah. Jehoiada. 



61 



look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, 
but the worshippers of Baal only. 

24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt- offerings, 
Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men 
whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, 
his life shall be for the life of him. 

25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering 
the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard, and to the captains, 
Go in and slay them ; let none come forth. And they smote them 
with the edge of the sword ; and the guard and the captains cast 
them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 

26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, 
and burned them. 

27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the 
house of Baal, and made it a draught-house unto this day. 

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 

29 IT Howbeit, from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who 
made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the 
golden calves that ivere in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 

30 And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in 
executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the 
house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children 
of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of 
Israel with all his heart; for he departed not from the sins of 
Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. 

32 IT In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short : and Hazael 
smote them in all the coasts of Israel ; 

33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Giiead, the Gadites, and 
the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, (which is by the 
river Arnon,) even Giiead and Bashan. 

2 KINGS, XI. 

1 And when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son 
was dead, she arose, and destroyed all the seed royal. 

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, 
took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's 
sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in 
the bed-chamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 

3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years: 
and Athaliah did reign over the land. 

2 chronicles, xxiii. B. C. 878. 

1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took 
the captains of hundreds, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, 
the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, 
the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri, into covenant 
with him. 

2 And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of 
all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and 
they came to Jerusalem. 

5 * 



62 



Jehoiada, Athaliah. 



3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the 
house of God : and he said unto them. Behold, the king's son shall 
reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons of David. 

4 This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering 
on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of 
the doors ; 

5 And a third part shall be at the king's house, and a third part at 
the gate of the foundation : and all the people shall be in the courts 
of the house of the Lord. 

6 But let none come into the house of the Lord save the priests, 
and they that minister of the Levites ; they shall go in. for they are 
holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. 

7 And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man 
with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the 
house he shall be put to death : but be ye with the king when he 
cometh in, and when he goeth out. 

8 So the Levites, and all Judah, did according to all things that 
Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men 
that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go cut 
on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses. 

9 Moreover, Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of 
hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king 
David's, which were in the house of God. 

10 And he set all the people, (every man having his weapon in his 
hand,) from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, 
along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about. 

11 Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the 
crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king: and Jehoiada 
and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king. 

12 U Now, when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running 
and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the 
Lord. 

13 And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the 
entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king : and all 
the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets ; also the 
singers with instruments of music, and such as taught to sing praise. | 
Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, treason! 

14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds 
that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of i 
the ranges : and whoso followeth her let him be slain with the 
sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the : 
Lor.d. 

15 So they laid hands on her ; and when she was come to the I 
entering of the horse-gate, by the king's house, they slew her j 
there. 

16 IT And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all 
the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord's 
people. 

17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it 
down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan 
the priest of Baal before the altars. 

18 Also Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of the Lord 
by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed 



Jehoiada. Joash. 



63 



in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, 
as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, 
as it was ordained by David. 

19 And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, 
that none ichich was unclean in any thing should enter in. 

20 And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the 
governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought 
down the king from the house of the Lord : and they came 
through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon 
the throne of the kingdom. 

21 And all the people of the land rejoiced : and the city was quiet, 
after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXIV. 

1 Joash teas seven years old when he began to reign ; and he 
reigned forty years in Jerusalem : his mother's name also ivas Zibiah 
of Beer-sheba. 

2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all 
the days of Jehoiada the priest. 

3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives ; and he begat sons and 
daughters. 

2 KINGS, XII. 

3 But the high places were not taken away : the people still 
sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXIV. B. C. 865, 

4 IT And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair 
the house of the Lord. 

5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to 
them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money 
to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye 
hasten the matter ; howbeit the Levites hastened it not. 

6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, 
Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in, out of Judah 
and out of Jerusalem, the collection, according to the commandment 
of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, 
for the tabernacle of witness ? 

7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the 
house of God ; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the 
Lord did they bestow upon Baalim. 

8 And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it 
without at the gate of the house of the Lord. 

9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to 
bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses, the servant of God, 
laid upon Israel in the wilderness. 

10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, 
and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. 

11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought 
unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw 



64 



Joash. JehoaJiaz, 



that there was much money, the king's scribe and the high priest's 
officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his 
place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in 
abundance. 

12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the 
service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to 
repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass 
to mend the house of the Lord. 

13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, 
and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. 

14 * And, when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the 
money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for 
the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, 
and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver : and they offered burnt- 
offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of 
Jehoiada. 

2 KIXG3, x. 

35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria : 
and Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. 

36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria teas 
twenty and eight years. 

2 KINGS, XIII. 

1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash, the son of Ahaziahking 
of Judah, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, began to reign over Israel in 
Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and 
followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to 
sin; he departed not therefrom. 

St*" And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel ; and he 
delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the 
hand of Ben-hadad. the son of Hazael, all their days. 

4 And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto 
him ; for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria 
oppressed them. 

5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from 
under the hand of the Syrians : and the children of Israel dwelt in 
their tents as before -time. 

6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of 
Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein : and there 
remained the grove also in Samaria.) 

7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horse- 
men, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen ; for the king of 
Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by 
threshing. 

B. C. 845. 2 chronicles, xxiv. 

15 IT But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died ; 
an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. 



* B. C. 856. 



f B. C. 849. 



Elisha dieth. 



65 



16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, be- 
cause he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his 
house. 

2 mes, xiii. B. C. 841. 

9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers ; and they buried him in 
Samaria : and Joash his son reigned in his stead. 

10 If In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began 
Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, to reign over Israel in Samaria, and 
reigned sixteen years. 

11 And he did that which ivas evil in the sight of the Lord ; he 
departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who 
made Israel sin ; but he walked therein. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXIV. B. C. 840. 

17 Now. after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and 
made obeisance to the king : then the king hearkened unto them. 

18 And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and 
served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem 
for this their trespass. 

19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the 
Lord ; and they testified against them ; but they would not give 
ear. 

2 kings, xiii. B. C. 839. 

14 IT Now Elisha was fallen sick, of his sickness whereof he died. 
And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his 
face, and said, O my father, my father ! the chariot of Israel, and the 
horsemen thereof. 

15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows : and he took 
unto him bow and arrows. 

16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow : 
and he put his hand upon it; and Elisha put his hands upon the 
king's hands. 

17 And he said, Open the window eastward ; and he opened it. 
Then Elisha said. Shoot: and he shot. And he said, The arrow of the 
Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria ; for 
thou shall smite the Syrians in Aphek till thou have consumed 
them. 

18 And he said, Take the arrows : and he took them. And he said 
unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground : and he smote thrice, 
and stayed. 

19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou 
shouldest have smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten 
Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite 
Syria but thrice. 

20 17 And Elisha died, and they buried him. 

2 KOGS, XII. 

17 ^ Then Hazael king of Syria went up. and fought against Gath, 
l and took it : and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 



66 



Jo ash. Amaziah. 



18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that 
Jehoshaphat and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, 
had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was 
found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king's 
house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria : and he went away from 
Jerusalem. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXIV. 

20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of 
Jehoiada the priests, which stood above the people, and said unto 
them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the 
Lord, that ye cannot prosper ? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, 
he hath also forsaken you. 

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones, 
at the commandment of the king, in the court of the house of the 
Lord. 

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which 
Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son : and, when he 
died, he said, The Lord look upon if, and required. 

23 IT And it came to pass, at the end of the year, that the host of 
Syria came up against him : and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, 
and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people ? 
and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. 

24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of 
men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand; 
because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers : so they 
executed judgment against Joash. 

25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in 
great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him, for the blood 
of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he 
died : and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him 
not in the sepulchres of the kings. 

26 And these are they that conspired against him ; Zabad, the 
son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith 
a Moabitess. 

27 IT Now, concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens 
laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they 
are written in the story of the book of the kings : and Amaziah his 
son reigned in his stead. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXV. B. C. 839. 

1 Amaziah ivas twenty and five years old when he began to reign ; 
and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem : and his mother's 
name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but 
not with a perfect heart. 

3 IT Now, it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to 
him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father. 

4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law 
in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, The 1 
fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die 
for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin. 



Jehoash. Jonah, the prophet. 67 



2 kings, xni. B. C. 838 

20 And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming 
in of the year. 

21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, 
they spied a band of men ; and they cast the man into the sepulchre 
of Elisha : and when the man was let down, and touched the bones 
of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 

22 IT But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of 
Jehoahaz. 

23 And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on 
them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast 
he them from his presence as yet. 

24 So Hazael the king of Syria died ; and Ben-had ad his son 
reigned in his stead. 

25 And Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, took again out of the hand of 
Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of 
the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war : three times did Joash beat 
him, and recovered the cities of Israel. 

jo]*ah, i. B. C. 830,- 

1 Now, the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of Amittai, 
saying, 

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it ; for their 
wickedness is come up before me. 

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish, from the presence of 
the Lord, and went down to Joppa ; and he found a ship going to 
Tarshish : so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go 
with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 

4 If But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was 
a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be 
broken. 

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his 
god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to 
lighten it of them ; but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the 
ship ; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 

6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest 
thou, sleeper ? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think 
upon us, that we perish not. 

7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast 
lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon lis. So 
they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 

8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause 
this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation ? and whence comest 
thou ? what is thy country ? and of what people art thou ? 



* I have dated this book as above, because it seems to be something like a 
medium between the dates of different chronologers ; and because it is certain that 
he prophesied in Israel before 820, B. C. Townsend dates it B. C. 787, and he gives 
as a reason that Jonah's age particularly fitted him for his mission to Nineveh; 
being, (as he supposes,) 90 or more. But I do not think such a reason sufficient for 
altering the above date. 



68 



Jonah, the prophet. 



9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew ; and I fear the Lord, 
the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, 
Why hast thou done this ? (for the men knew that he fled from the 
presence of the Lord, because he had told them.) 

11 IT Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that 
the sea may be calm unto us ? (for the sea wrought, and was 
tempestuous.) 

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the 
sea ; so shall the sea be calm unto you : for I know that for my 
sake this great tempest is upon you. 

13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring it to the land ; but 
they could not : for the sea wrought, ^nd was tempestuous against 
them. 

14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech 
thee, Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, 
and lay not upon us innocent blood : for thou, Lord, hast done as 
it pleased thee. 

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea ; and the 
sea ceased from her raging. 

16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a 
sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. 

17 IT Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. 
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 

JONAH, II. 

1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's 
belly, 

2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and 
he heard me ; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my 
voice. 

3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas ; 
and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves 
passed over me. 

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight ; yet I will look again 
toward thy holy temple. 

5 The waters compassed me about even to the soul : the depth . 
closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains ; the earth with her 
bars ivas about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from 
corruption, Lord my God. 

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord ; and 
my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving ; I 
will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. 

10 TT And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah 
upon the dry Land. 

JONAH, III. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, 
saying, 



Jonah. 



69 



2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the 
preaching that I bid thee. 

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word 
of the Lord. (Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three 
days'' journey.) 

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he 
cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 

5 IT So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, 
and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of 
them. 

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his 
throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sack- 
cloth, and sat in ashes. 

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through 
Nineveh, (by the decree of the king and his nobles.) saying, Let 
neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not 
feed, nor drink water. 

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry 
mightily unto God : yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, 
and from the violence that is in their hands. 

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from 
his fierce anger, that we perish not ? 

10 TF And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil 
way ; and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do 
unto them ; and he did it not. 

JO>'AH, IV. 

Jonah, repining at God's mercy, is reproved by the type of a 

gourd. 

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 

2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, 
teas not this ray saying when I was yet in my country ? therefore I 
fled before unto Tarshish : for I knew that thou art -a gracious God, 
and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee 
of the evil. 

3 Therefore now, Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me . 
for it is better for me to die than to live. 

4 IT Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry ? 

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the 
city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till 
he might see what would become of the city. 

6 And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up 
over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him 
from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 

7 But God prepared a worm, when the morning rose the next day, 
and it smote the gourd that it withered. 

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared 
a vehement east wind ; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, 
that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for 
me to die than to live. 

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the 
gourd : And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 

6 



70 



Amaziah. 



10 Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the 
which thou hast not labored, neither inadest it grow ; which came up 
in a night, and perished in a night : 

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are 
more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between 
their right hand and their left hand ; and also much cattle ? 

B. C. 827. 2 chroivicles, xxv. 

\ 

5 IT Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them ; 
captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the 
houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin : and he 
numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them 1 
three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that 
could handle spear and shield, * 

6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of 
Israel, for an hundred talents of silver. 

7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the I 
army of Israel go with thee ; for the Lord is not with Israel, to icit, 
with all the children of Ephraim. 

8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle ; God shall ■ 
make thee fall before the enemy : for God hath power to help, and 
to cast down. 

9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for 
the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel ? And 
the man of God answered. The Lord is able to give thee much more j 
than this. 

10 Then Amaziah separated them, to tvit, the army that was come 
to him out of Ephraim, to go home again : wherefore their anger 
was greatly kindled against Judah. and they returned home in great i 
anger. 

11 1T And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, \ 
and went to the valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten j 
thousand. 

12 And other ten thousand left alive did the chiMren of Judah 
carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and 
cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken I , 
in pieces. 

13 IT But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that 
they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, : 
from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of 
them, and took much spoil. 

14 IT Now, it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the : 
slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children ~\ 
of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself 
before them, and burned incense unto them. 

15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, 
and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou - 
sought after the gods of the people which could not deliver their own I 
people out of thine hand ? 

16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said 
unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why 
shouldest thou be smitten ? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I 



Amaziah. JoasJi. 



71 



I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast 
| done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel. 

IT"*- IT Then Amaziah, king of Judah took advice, and sent to 

I Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, 
: Come, let us see one another in the face. 

18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, 
The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in 
Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife : and there 
passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the 

■ i thistle. 

19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites, and thine 
heart lifteth thee up to boast : abide now at home, why shouldest thou 

: meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah 
with thee ? 

I I | 20 But Amaziah would not hear ; for it came of God, that he might 
deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought 
after the gods of Edom. 

21 So Joash the king of Israel went up, and they saw one another 
in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, 
which belongeth to Judah. 
I 22 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled 
every man to his tent. 

23 And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son 
of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to 
Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of 
Ephraim to the corner-gate, four hundred cubits. 

24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that 
i were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures 

of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. 

2 kizs-gs, xiv. B. C. 825. 

I 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers s and was buried in Samaria 
with the kings of Israel ; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his 
I stead. 

23 IT In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, the son of Joash king of 
nil Judah, Jeroboam, the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in 

Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. 

24 And he did that which teas evil in the sight of the Lord : he 
departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who 

1 ] made Israel to sin. * 

25 He restored the coast of Israel, from the entering of Hamath 

2 ! unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of 
2 I Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah,! the son of 
I | Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. 

26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very 
bitter : for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper 
for Israel. 



* E. C. 826. 

- t Whether this prophecy was delivered before or after Jonah was sent to 
Nineveh we cannot decide. But one thing- it makes certain, that Jonah was a 

- prophet in Israel before, or at the time of the reign of Jeroboam IL 



72 



Uzziah. Amos. 



27 And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name oi 
Israel from under heaven : but he saved them by the hand of Jero- 
boam, the son of Joash. 



27 IT Now, after the time that Amaziah did turn away from fol- 
lowing the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; 
and he fled to JLachish : but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew 
him there. 

28 And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his 

fathers in the city of Judah, 



1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah,* who was sixteen 
years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. 

2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept 
with his fathers. 

3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign ; and he 
reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem : his mothers name also was 
Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 

4 And he did that which icas right in the sight of the Lord, 
according to all that his father Amaziah did. 

5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had under- 
standing in the visions of God : and as long as he sought the Lord, 
God made him to prosper. 

6 And he went forth, and warred against the Philistines, and brake 
down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, 
and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 

7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the 
Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehuniras. 

8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread 
abroad even to the entering in of Egypt ; for he strengthened himself 
exceedingly. 

B. C. 795.f amos, i. 

1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, 
which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, 
and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash king of Israel, two years 
before the earthquake. • 

2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice 
from Jerusalem ; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, 
and the top of Carmel shall wither. 

3 IT Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Damascus, 
and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof ; because 
they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron : 

4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall 
devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. 

5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant 



B. C. 811. 



2 CHRONICLES, XXV. 



2 CHRONICLES, XXVI. 



* Called also Azariah, 



f TowDsencl. 753, 



Amos, the Prophet, 



73 



from the plain of Aven, and hini that holdeth the sceptre from the 
house of Eden : and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto 
Kir, saith the Lord. 

6 Thus saith the Lord. For three transgressions of Gaza, and for 
four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they 
carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to 
Edom : 

7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour 
the palaces thereof : 

8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that 
holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon ; and I will turn mine hand against 
Ekron ; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the 
Lord God. 

9 *~ Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Tyrus, and 
for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they 
delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the 
brotherly covenant : 

10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour 
the palaces thereof. 

11 IT Thus saith the Lord, fo three transgressions of Edom, and 
for four, 1 will not turn away the punishment thereof : because he 
did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and 
his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever : 

12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the 
palaces of Bozrah. 

13 % Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of the children 
of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment 
thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of 
Gilead, that they might enlarge their border : 

14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall 
devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a 
tempest in the day of the whirlwind : 

15 And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes 
together, saith the Lord. 

AMOS, II. 

1 Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Moab, and for 
four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof ; because he burnt 
the bones of the king of Edom into lime : 

2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces 
of Kirioth : and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with 
the sound of the trumpet : 

3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay 
all the princes thereof with him, saith the Lord. 

. 4 IT Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Judah, and 
for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they 
have despised the law of the Lor.d, and have not kept his command- 
ments, and their lies caused them to err. after the which their fathers 
have walked : 

5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces 
of Jerusalem. 

6 Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Israel, and 

6* 



74 



Amos, the Prophet. 



for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they 
sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes ; 

7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor 3 
and turn aside the way of the meek ; and a man and his father will 
go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name : 

8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by 
every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house 
of their god. 

9 IT Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was 
like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks ; yet I 
destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 

10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you 
forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the 
Amorite. 

11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young 
men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel ? 
saith the Lord. 

12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink ; and commanded the 
prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 

13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full 
of sheaves. 

14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong 
shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver 
himself : 

15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow ; and he that is 
swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the 
horse deliver himself: 

10 And he that is courageous among the mighty, shall flee away 
naked in that day, saith the Loud. 

B, C. 790. amos, in. 

1 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O 
children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from 
the land of Egypt, saying, 

2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth : therefore 
I will punish you for all your iniquities. 

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed ? 

4 Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey ? will a 
3^oung; lion cry out of his den if he have taken nothing ? 

5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where no gin is for him ? 
shall one take up a snare from the earth and have taken nothing at 
ail ? 

6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be 
afraid ? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done 

it ? 

7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealethhis secret 
unto his servants the prophets. 

8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath 
spoken, who can but prophesy ? 

9 IT Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land 
of Egypt, and say 5 Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of 



Amos, the Prophet. 



75 



Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and 
the oppressed in the midst thereof. 

10 For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up 
violence and robbery in their palaces. 

11 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, An adversary there shall 
be even round about the land ; and he shall bring down thy strength 
from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. 

12 Thus saith the Lord, As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth 
of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear ; so shall the children -of 
Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and 
in Damascus in a couch. 

13 Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, 
the God of hosts, 

14 That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel 
upon him, I will also visit the altars of Beth-el ; and the horns of 
the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. 

15 And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house ; 
and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have 
an end, saith the Lord. 

AM OS j IV. 

1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of 
Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say 
to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. 

2 The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days 
shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and 
your posterity with fish-hooks. 

3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is 
before her ; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord, 

4 U Come to Beth-el and transgress ; at Gilgal multiply trans- 
gression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes 
after three years ; 

5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim 
and publish the free -offerings ; for this liketh you, ye children of 
Israel, saith the Lord God. 

6 IT And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, 
and want of bread in all your places ; yet have ye not returned unto 
me, saith the Lord. 

7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, w T hen there were 
yet three months to the harvest : and I caused it to rain upon one 
city, and caused it not to rain upon another city : one piece was 
rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 

8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water ; 
but they were not satisfied : yet have ye not returned unto me, saith 
the Lord. 

9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your 
gardens, and your vineyards, and your fig-trees, and your olive-trees, 
increased, the palmer-worm devoured them: yet have ye not returned 
unto me, saith the Lord. 

10 I have sent among you the pestilence, after the manner of 
Egypt : your young men have I slain with the sword, and have 
taken away your horses ; and I have made the stink of your camps 



76 



Amos, the Prophet. 



to come up unto your nostrils : yet have ye not returned unto me, 
saith the Lord. 

11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand^ plucked out of the burning : 
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 

12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel : and because I 
will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 

13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, 
and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning 
darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, 
The God of hosts, is his name. 

B. C. 789. amos, v. 

1 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamenta- 
tion, O house of Israel. 

2 The virgin of Israel is fallen ; she shall no more rise : she is 
forsaken upon her land ; there is none to raise her up. 

3 For thus saith the Lord God ; The city that went out by a 
thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an 
hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel. 

4 IT For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, 
and ye shall live : 

5 But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to 
Beer-sheba : for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Beth-el 
shall come to nought. 

6 Seek the Lord, and ye shall live ; lest he break out like fire in 
the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in 
Beth-el. 

7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness 
in the earth, 

8 Seek him, that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the 
shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with 
night : that caileth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out 
upon the face of the earth : The Lord is his name : 

9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the 
spoiled shall come against the fortress. 

10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him 
that speaketh uprightly. 

11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye 
take from him burdens of wheat : ye have built houses of hewn stone, 
but ye shall not dwell in them ; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, 
but ye shall not drink wine of them. 

12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins : 
they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor 
in the gate from their right. 

13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time ; for it is 
an evil time. 

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live : and so the Lord, 
the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. 

15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in 
the gate : it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious 
unto the remnant of Joseph. 



Amos, the Prophet, 



77 



16 Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; 
Wailing shall be in all streets ; and they shall say in all the highways, 
Alas ! alas ! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and 
such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. 

17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing : for I will pass through 
thee, saith the Lord. 

18 AVoe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is 
it for you ? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. 

19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or went 
into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit 
him. 

20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light ? even 
very dark, and no brightness in it ? 

21 TF I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your 
solemn assemblies. 

22 Though ye offer me burnt-offerings, and your meat-offerings, I 
will not accept them : neither will I regard the peace-offerings of 
your fat beasts. 

23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; for I will not 
hear the melody of thy viols. 

24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a 
mighty stream. 

25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilder- 
ness forty years, house of Israel ? 

26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun 
your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. 

27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Da- 
mascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts. 

amos, vi. B. C. 786. 

1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain 
of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the 
house of Israel came ! 

2 Pass ye unto Calney, and see ; and from thence go ye to Hamath 
the great ; then go down to Gath of the Philistines : be they better 
than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border ? 

3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence 
to come near ; 

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their 
couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the 
midst of the stall ; 

5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves 
instruments of music, like David; 

6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief 
ointments ; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 

7 H Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go 
captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be 
removed. 

8 The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord, the God 
of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces : 
therefore will I deliver up the city, with all that is therein. 



78 



Amos, the Prophet. 



9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house 5 
that they shall die. 

10 And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he thatburneth him, 
to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that 
is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee ? and he shall 
say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue ; for we may not 
make mention of the name of the Lord. 

11 For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the 
great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 

12 TF Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with 
oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of 
righteousness into hemlock. 

13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we 
not taken to us horns by our own strength ? 

14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of 
Israel, saith the Lord, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you 
from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wilderness. 

AMOS, VII. 

The judgments of the grasshoppers, and of the fire, are diverted 
by the prayer of Amos. By a wall and plumb-line is signified 
the rejection of Israel. Amaziah complaineth of Amos. Ama- 
ziah'' s judgment. 

1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me ; and, behold, he 
formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter 
growth ; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mow- 
ings. 

2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating 
the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech 
thee ; by whom shall Jacob arise ? for he is small. 

3 The Lord repented for this : It shall not be, saith the Lord. 

4 IF Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me ; and, behold, the 
Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, 
and did eat up a part. 

5 Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee ; by whom 
shall Jacob arise ? for he is small. 

6 The Lord repented for this : This also shall not be, saith the Lord 
God. 

7 TT Thus he shewed me ; and, behold, the Lord stood upon a w r all 
made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. 

8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou ? And I 
said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I w T ill set a 
plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel : I will not again pass by 
them any more : 

9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries 
of Israel shall be laid waste ; and I will rise against the house of 
Jeroboam with the sword. 

10 M Then Amaziah, the priest of Beth-el, sent to Jeroboam king 
of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of 
the house of Israel : the land is not able to bear all his words. 

11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and 
Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. 



Amos, the Prophet. 



79 



12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, thou seer, go, flee thee away 
into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there. 

13 But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el : for it is the king's 
chapel, and it is the king's court. 

14 IT Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, 
neither was I a prophet's son ; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer 
of sycamore fruit. 

15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord 
said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 

16 IT Now, therefore, hear thou the word of the Lord ; thou sayest, 
Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house 
of Isaac. 

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Thy wife shall be an harlot in 
the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and 
thy land shall be divided by line ; and thou shalt die in a polluted 
land : and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land. 

AMOS, VIII. 

By a basket of summer-fruit is shewed Israel's end. Oppression 
reproved. A famine of the word threatened. 

1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me ; and, behold, a basket 
of summer-fruit. 

2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of 
summer-fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon 
my people of Israel ; I will not again pass by them any more. 

3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith 
the Lord God : there shall be many dead bodies in every place ; they 
shall cast them forth with silence. 

4 IT Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the 
poor of the land to fall, 

5 Saying, When will the new-moon be gone, that we may sell 
corn, and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat? making the 
ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by 
deceit. 

6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of 
shoes ; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat ? 

7 The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I 
will never forget any of their works. 

8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that 
dwelleth therein ? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood ; and it shall 
be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. 

9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I 
will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in 
the clear day : 

10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs 
into lamentation ; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and 
baldness upon every head : and I will make it as the mourning of an 
only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. 

11 TT Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send 
a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, 
but of hearing the words of the Lord : 



80 



Ho sea, the Prophet. 



12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even 
to the east ; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, 
and shall not find it. 

13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for 
thirst. 

14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O 
Dan, liveth ; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth ; even they 
shall fall, and never rise up again. 

B. C. 786.* hosea, i. 

1 The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, 
in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, 
and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel. 

2 The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea : and the 
Lord said to Hosea, Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and 
children of whoredoms : for the land hath committed great whore- 
dom, departing from the Lord. 

3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim ; which 
conceived, and bare him a son. 

4 t And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel ; for yet a 
little while, and I^will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of 
Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 

5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow 
of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. 

6 t H And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God 
said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah : for I will no more have 
mercy upon the house of Israel ; but I will utterly take them 
awa}'. 

7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save 
them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by 
sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. 

8 || IT Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and 
bare a son. 

9 Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi : for ye are not my 
people, and I will not be your God. 

10 H Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand ■ 
of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered ; and it shall 
come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are - 
not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of 
the living God. 

11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be 
gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall ' 
come up out of the land : for great shall be the day of Jezreel. 



* Mr. Townsend has dated the three first chapters of this prophecy fifteen years 
earlier ; and has given the chapters one date. But at whatever time we fix the 
commencement of the book, it is certain the historical facts related in these chap- 
ters required a lapse of time between the several messages recorded : so that it is 
impossible Mr. Townsend's date should be correct through these three chapters. 
Nor can I see any suffieieHt reason for placing the commencement of Hosea's 
prophecy anterior to that of Amos. 

| B. C. 785. X B. C. 784. || B. C. 783. 



Hosea. 



61 



HOSEA, II. 

The idolatry of the people. God's judgment against them : His 
promises of reconciliation with them. 

1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi, and to your sisters, Ru- 
hamah. 

2 Plead with your mother, plead : for she is not my wife, neither 
am I her husband : let her therefore put away her whoredoms out 
of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts ; 

3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was 
born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land and 
slay her with thirst. 

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children ; for they be the 
children of whoredoms. 

5 For their mother hath played the harlot : she that conceived 
them hath done shamefully : for she said, I will go after my lovers, 
that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine 
oil and my drink. 

6 IF Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and 
make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. 

7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake 
them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall 
she say, I will go and return to my first husband ; for then teas it 
better with me than now. 

8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, 
and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. 

9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time 
thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and 1 will recover my 
wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. 

10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, 
and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. 

11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new 
moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. 

12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig-trees, whereof she 
hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me : 
and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat 
them. 

13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, w 7 herein she 
burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her ear-rings 
and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith 
the Lord. 

14 II Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the 
wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. 

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley 
of Achor for a door of hope : and she shall sing there, as in the days 
of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of 
Egypt. 

16 TT And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt 
call me Ishi ; and shalt call me no more Baali. 

17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, 
and they shall no more be remembered by their name. 

18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the 
beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the 

7 



82 



Hosea. Amos. 



creeping things of the ground : and I will break the bow and the 
sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie 
down safely. 

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever ; yea, I will betroth 
thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving- 
kindness, and in mercies. 

20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness : and thou 
shalt know the Lord. 

21 And it shall come to pass^ in that day, I will hear saith the 
Lord, I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth ; 

22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil ; 
and they shall hear Jezreel. 

23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth ; and I will have 
mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy ; and I will say to them 
which ivere not my people, Thou art my people ; and they shall say, 
Thou art my God. 

AMOS. IX. 

1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar : and he said, Smite the 
lintel of the door, that the posts may shake : and cut them in the 
head, all of them ; and I will slay the last of them with the sword : 
he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of 
them shall not be delivered. 

2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them ; 
though they climb up to heaven, thence will 1 bring them down : 

3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will 
search and take them out thence ; and though they be hid from my 
sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, 
and he shall bite them : 

4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence 
will I command the sword, and it shall slay them : and I will set 
mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. 

5 And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it 
shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise 
up whollv like a flood ; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of 
Egypt. 

6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded 
his troop in the earth ; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and 
poureth them out upon the face of the earth : The Lord is his 
name. 

7 Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of 
Israel ? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the 
land of Egypt ? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians 

from Kir? 

8 Behold the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, 
and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth ; saving that I 
w T ill not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. 

9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among 
all nations, like as com is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least 
grain fall upon the earth. 

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, 
The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. 



Hosea. Amos. 



83 



11 IF In that day will I raise up the tahernacle of David that is 
fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his 
ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old ; 

12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the 
heathen, which are called by rny name, saith the Lord, that doeth 
this. 

13 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall 
overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed : 
and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall 
melt. 

14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, 
and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them ; and they 
shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also 
make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 

15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more 
be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the 
Lord thy God. 

2 kings, xiv. B. C. 783, 

29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of 
Israel. 

HOSEA, III. 

1 Then said the Lord unto me, Go, yet love a woman, beloved of 
her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord 
toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons 
of wine. 

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an 
homer of barley, and an half homer of barley. 

3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days : thou 
shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man ; so 
will I also be for thee. 

4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, 
and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, 
and without an ephod, and without teraphim. 

5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord 
their God, and David their king ; and shall fear the Lord and his 
goodness in the latter days. 

hosea, iv. B. C. 780. 

1 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel : for the 
Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because 
there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God, in the land. 

2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and commit- 
ting adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. 

3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth 
therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the 
fowls of heaven ; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken 
away. 



84 



Hosea. 



4 Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another : for thy people are 
as they that strive with the priest. - 

5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall 
fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. 

6 IT My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge : because thou 
hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no 
priest to me : seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will 
also forget thy children. 

7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me ; therefore 
will I change their glory into shame. 

8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on 
their iniquity. 

9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish 
them for their ways, and reward them their doings. 

10 For they shall eat, and not have enough : they shall commit 
whoredom, and shall not increase ; because they have left off to take 
heed to the Lord. 

11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. 

12 IF My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declare th 
unto them : for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and 
they have gone a whoring from under their God. 

13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense 
upon the hills, under oaks, and poplars, and elms, because the shadow 
thereof is good : therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, 
and your spouses shall commit adultery. 

14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, 
nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are 
separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots : therefore the 
people that doth not understand shall fall. 

15 IT Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; 
and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor 
swear, The Lord liveth. 

16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer : now the Lord 
will feed them as a lamb in a large place. 

17 Ephraim is joined to idols : let him alone. 

18 Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom con- 
tinually : her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. 

19 The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be 
ashamed because of their sacrifices. 

B. C. 775. kosea, v. 

1 Hear ye this, O priests ; and hearken, ye house of Israel ; and 
give ye ear, O house of the king: for judgment is toward you, 
because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon 
Tabor. 

2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have 
been a rebuker of them all. 

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me : for now, O 
Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. 

4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God : for the 
spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not 
known the Lord. 



Hosea. 



85 



t) And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face : therefore shall 
Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity ; Judah also shall fall with 
them. 

6 They shall go with their flo'cks and with their herds to seek the 
Lord; but they shall not find him: he hath withdrawn himself from 
them. 

7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord ; for they have 
begotten strange children : now shall a month devour them with 
their portions. 

8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah : cry 
aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, Benjamin. 

9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke : among the 
tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. 

10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound : 
therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 

11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he 
willingly walked after the commandment. 

12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house 
of Judah as rottenness. 

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, 
then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb : yet could 
he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. 

14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the 
house of Judah : I, even I, will tear and go away ; I will take away, 
and none shall rescue him. 

15 IT I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their 
offence, and seek my face : in their affliction they will seek me 
early. 

HOSEA, VI. 

1 Come, and let us return unto the Lord : for he hath torn, and 
he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 

2 After two days will he revive us ; in the third day he will raise 
us up, and we shall live in his sight. 

3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord : his 
going forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us as 
the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 

4 TF Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee ? Judah, what shall I 
do unto thee ? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the 
early dew it goeth away. 

5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets ; I have slain 
them by the words of my mouth : and thy judgments are as the light 
that goeth forth. 

6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice ; and the knowledge of 
God more than burnt- offerings. 

7 But they, like men, have transgressed the covenant : there have 
they dealt treacherously against me. 

8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with 
blood. 

9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of 
priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdness. 



86 Uzziah. Zechariah. Shallum. Menahem. 



10 I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is 
the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. 

11 Abo, Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned 
the captivity of my people. 

B. C. 773.* 2 kings, xv. 

8 IT In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did 
Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, reign over Israel in Samaria six 
months. 

9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his 
fathers had done : he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son 
of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 

10 And Shallum, the son of Jabesh, conspired against him, and 
smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his 
stead. 

12 This ivas the word of the Lord which he spake unto Jehu, 
saying. Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth 
generation. And so it came to pass. 

13 f IT Shallum, the son of Jabesh, began to reign in the nine and 
thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah ; and he reigned a full month 
in Samaria. 

14 For Menahem, the son of Gadi, went up from Tirzah, and 
came to Samaria, and smote Shallum, the son of Jabesh, in Samaria, 
and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 

16 IT Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, 
and the coasts thereof from Tirzah : because they opened not toJiim, 
therefore he smote it ; and all the women therein that were with 
child he ripped up. 

17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began 
Menahem, the son of Gadi, to reign over Israel, and reigned ten 
years in Samaria. 

18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord : he 
departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 
who made Israel to sin. 

19 And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and 
Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might 
be with him, to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 

20 And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the 
mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to 
the king of Assyria : so the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed 
not there in the land. 

B. C. 765. 2 chronicles, xxvi. 

9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, at the corner-gate, 
and at the valley-gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified 
them. 

10 Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells : for 



* There had been an interregnum id the throne of Israel from the death of 
Jeroboam. -of ten years. 

j B. C. 772. 



UzziaJt. Hosca. 



87 



he had much cattle, both in the low country and in the plains ; 
husbandmen also and vine-dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel : 
for he loved husbandry. 

11 Moreover, Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to 
war by bands, according to the number of their account, by the hand 
of Jeiel the scribe, and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of 
Hananiah, one of the king's captains. 

12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty 
men of valor were two thousand and six hundred. 

13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand, 
and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty 
power, to help the king against the enemy. 

14 And Uzziah prepared for them, throughout all the host, shields, 
and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast 
stones. 

15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, 
to be on the towers, and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and 
great stones withal : and his name spread far abroad ; for he was 
marvellously helped till he was strong. 

hosea, vii. B. C. 765 * 

1 "When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim 
was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria : for they commit 
falsehood ; and the thief come th in, and the troop of robbers spoileth 
without : 

2 And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their 
wickedness : now their own doings have beset them about; they are 
before my face. 

3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes 
with their lies. 

4 They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who 
ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough until it be 
leavened. 

5 In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with 
bottles of wine: he stretched out his hand with scorners. 

6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven whiles they 
lie in wait : their baker sleepeth all the night ; in the morning it 
burnetii as a flaming fire. 

7 They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges : 
all their kings are fallen ; there is none among them that calleth unto 
me. 

8 Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people ; Ephraim is 
a cake not turned. 

9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not ; 
yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. 

10 And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face ; and they do not 
return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. 

11 IT Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart : they call to 
Egypt, they go to Assyria. 

12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them ; I will 



* Townsend, 725. 



88 



Menahem. Pekahiah. Hosea. 



bring them down as the fowls of the heaven ; I will chastise them as 
their congregation hath heard. 

13 Woe unto them ! for they have fled from me ; destruction unto 
them ! because they have transgressed against me : though I have 
redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. 

14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they 
how 7 led upon their beds : they assemble themselves for corn and 
wine, and they rebelled against me. 

15 Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they 
imagine mischief against me. 

16 They return, but not to the Most High ; they are like a 
deceitful bow : their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of 
their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. 



22 And Menahem slept with his fathers : and Pekahiah his son 
reigned in his stead. 

23 IT In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah, the 
son of Menahem, began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned 
two years. 

24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; he 
departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made 
Israel to sin. 



1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth : he shall come as an eagle against 
the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, 
and trespassed against my law. 

2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. 

3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good : the enemy shall 
pursue him. 

4 They have set up kings, but not by me ; they have made princes, 
and I knew it not : of their silver and their gold have they made them 
idols, that they may be cut off. 

5 1T Thy calf, O Samaria, hast cast thee off; mine anger is kindled 
against them : how long will it be ere they attain to innocency ? 

6 For from Israel was it also : the workman made it; therefore it 
is not god : but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces. 

7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirl- 
wind : it hath no stalk ; the bud shall yield no meal : if so be it yield, 
the stranger shall swallow it up. 

8 Israel i? swallowed up : now shall they be among the Gentiles 
as a vessel wherein is no pleasure. 

9 For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: 
Ephraim hath hired lovers. 

10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will 1 1 
gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king 
of princes. 



B. C. 762. 



2 KINGS, XV. 



E. C. 760.* 



HOSEA, VIII. 



* Townsend, 725. 



Hjsea. Isaiah. 



11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be 
unto him to sin. 

12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were 
counted as a strange thing. 

13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat 
it ; but the Lord accepteth them not : now will he remember their 
iniquity, and visit their sins ; they shall return to Egypt 

14 For Israel hath forgotten his maker, and buildeth temples ; and 
Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his 
cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. 

ISAIAH, I. 

Isaiah? s complaint of Judah : their universal corruption : lie exhort- 
eth to repentance, with promises and threatenings : the prophet 
bewaileth their wickedness. 

1 The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning 
Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and 

j Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 

2 * Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O earth ; for the Lord hath 
spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have 

J rebelled against me ! 

3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : but 
Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 

4 Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil 
doers, children that are corrupters! they have forsaken the Lord 3 

;; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone 
\ away backward. 

5 IT Why should ye be stricken any more ? ye will revolt more and 
more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 

6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no sound- 
ness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores : they have 

. not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oint- 
ment. 

7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burnt w r ith fire : your 
land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as over- 
thrown by strangers. 

8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a 
lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 

. . 9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, 
; we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto 
Gomorrah. 

10 IT Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom : give ear 
unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah : 

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? 

I 1 * Many chronologers £ive another date from the second verse of this chapter to 
che close of the fifth. The reason of this is. they suppose the vision which com- 

' : mences the sixth chapter, to be the introduction of the prophet to his office, and a 
preface to all his communications. Others have supposed he might have delivered 

- the preceding chapters, and afterwards be more solemnly called and set apart to the 
vork of prophecy. Mr. Towneend dates the first verse of this, and the second, 
third, fourth, and fifth chapters, B C. 758, or two years later than the date above, 
and the remainder of the chapter, B. C. 740. 



90 



Isaiah. Pekah. 



saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt- offerings of rams, and the fat 
of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, 
or of he-goats. 

12 When ye come to appear before me. who hath required this at 
your hand to tread my courts ? 

13 Bring no more vain oblations : incense is an abomination unto 
me ; the new-moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, 1 cannot 
away with : it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 

14 Your new moons, and your appointed feasts my soul hateth : 
they are a trouble unto me ; I am weary to bear them. 

15 And when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from 
you ; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear : your hands 
are full of blood. 

16 IT Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings 
from before mine eyes : cease to do evil ; 

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge 
the fatherless ; plead for the widow. 

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : 
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; 
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the 
land : 

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured w T ith the 
sword : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 

21 IF How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judg- 
ment ; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers ! 

22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water : 

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves : every 
one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards : they judge not the 
fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. 

24 Therefore, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One 
of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of 
mine enemies : 

25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away 
thy dross, and take away all thy tin : 

26 And 1 will restore thy r judges as at the first, and thy counsellors 
as at the beginning : afterward thou shalt be called, The city of 
righteousness, The faithful city. 

27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with 
righteousness. 

23 IT And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners 
shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be 
consumed. 

29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and 
ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. 

30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden 
that hath no water. 

31 And the strong shall be as tow T , and the maker of it as a spark, 
and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. 



B. C. 759. 2 ki>-gs, xv. 

25 But Pekah, the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired 



PeJcah. Uzziah. Isaiah. 



against him, [Pekahiah,] and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of 
the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of 
the Gileadites : and he killed him, and reigned in his room. 

27 IT In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah, 
the son of Remaliah, began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and 
reigned twenty years. 

28 And he did that which ivas evil in the sight of the Lord ; he 
departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made 
Israel to sin. 



2 CHRONICLES, XXVI. 

16 IT But when he, [Uzziah,] was strong, his heart was lifted up to 
his destruction : for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and 
went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of 
incense. 

17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him four 
score priests of the Lord, that were valiant men ; 

18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It 
appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord., 
but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn 
incense : go out of the sanctuary ; for thou hast trespassed ; neither 
shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God. 

19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn 
incense ; and while he was wroth w T ith the priests, the leprosy even 
rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, 
from beside the incense altar. 

20 And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon 
him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him 
out from thence ; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the 
Lord had smitten him. 

21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and 
dwelt in a several house, being a leper ; for he was cut off from the 
house of the Lord : and Jotham his son was over the king's house, 
judging the people of the land. 

22 * IT Now, the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah 
the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. 

23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his 
fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings ; for 
they said, He is a leper : and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. 



ISAIAH, ii. B. C. 758. 

1 The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah 
and Jerusalem. 

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of 
the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, 
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow 
unto it. 

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go 
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; 



B. C. 758. 



92 



Isaiah. 



and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for 
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from 
Jerusalem. 

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many 
people ; and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their 
spears into pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the 
Lord. 

6 H Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, 
because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like 
the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of 
strangers, 

7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither, is there any 
end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there 
any end of their chariots : 

8 Their land also is full of idols ; they worship the work of their 
own hands, that which their own fingers have made. 

9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth | 
himself : therefore forgive them not. 

10 IT Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the 
Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. 

11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness 
of men shall be bowed down ; and the Lord alone shall be exalted 
in that day. 

12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that 
is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up, and he shall be 
brought low ; 

13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted 
up, and upon all the oaks of Bash an, 

14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are 
lifted up, 

15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, 

16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant 
pictures. 

17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughti- 
ness of men shall be made low ; and the Lord alone shall be exalted 
in that day. 

18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish. 

19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves 
of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the gloiy of his majesty,*: 
when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 

20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of 
gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles, 
and to the bats ; 

21 To go into the clefTs of the rocks, and into the tops of the 
ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, 
when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein 
is he to be acounted of? 

ISAIAH, III. 

1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from 



Tsui ah. 



Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole stay of 
bread, and the whole stay of water, 

2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, 
and the prudent, and the ancient, 

3 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, 
and tbe cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule 
over them. 

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and 
every one by his neighbor : the child shall behave himself proudly 
against the ancient, and the base against the honorable. 

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother, of the house of his 
father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin 
be under thy hand. 

7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for 
in my house is neither bread nor clothing : make me not a ruler of 
the people. 

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen ; because their 
tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of 
his glory. 

9 IT The shew of their countenance doth witness against them, and 
they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not: woe unto their 
soul ! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him ; for they 
shall eat the fruit of their doings. 

11 Woe unto the wicked ! it shall be ill ivith him ; for the reward 
of his hands shall be given him. 

12 IT As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women 
rule ever them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to 
err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 

13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the 
people. 

14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his 
I people v and the princes thereof : for ye have eaten up the vineyard ; 

the spoil of the poor is in your houses. ^ 
I 15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the 
' faces of the poor ? saith the Lord God of hosts. 

16 U Moreover, the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are 
haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks, and wanton eyes, 

a walking, and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their 
\ feet: 

17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the 
1 head of the daughters of Zion. and the Lord will discover their secret 
; parts. 

18 In that day the Lord will take away the braveiw of their tink- 
ling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires 
like the moon, 

19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 

20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, 
and the tablets, and the ear-rings, 

21 The rings, and nose-jewels, 

22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the 
wimples, and the crisping-pins, 

8 



94 



Isaiah. 



23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell, there 
shall be stink ; and instead of a girdle, a rent ; and instead of well-set 
hair, baldness ; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sack-cloth ; 
and burning instead of beauty. 

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the 
war. 

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn ; and she being desolate 
shall sit upon the ground. 

ISAIAH, IV. 

1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, 
saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel : only 
let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 

2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and 
glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for 
them that are escaped of Israel. 

3 And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that 
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is 
written among the liying in Jerusalem : 

4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the 
daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from 
the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of 
burning. 

5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount 
Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the 
shining of a flaming fire by night : for upon all the glory shall be a 
defence. 

6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time 
from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm, 
and from rain. 

ISAIAH, V. 

1 Now will I sing to my w T ell-beloved a song of my beloved 
touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very 
fruitful hill : 

2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and 
planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, 
and also made a wine-press therein : and he looked that it should bring 
forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 

3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, 
I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 

4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not 
done in it ? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, 
brought it forth wild grapes ? 

5 And now, go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard : 
I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up ; and 
break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down : 

6 And I will lay it waste : it shall not be pruned, nor digged : but 
there shall come up briers and thorns ; I will also command the clouds 
that they rain no rain upon it. 



Isaiah. 



7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and 
the men of Judah his pleasant plant : and he looked for judgment, 
but behold oppression ; for righteousness, but behold, a cry. 

8 IT Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, 
till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of 
the earth ! 

9 In mine ears, said the Lord of hosts, of a truth many houses 
shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. 

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall 3'ield one bath, and the seed of 
an homer shall yield an ephah. 

11 IT Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they 
may follow strong drink ; that continue until night, till wine inflame 
them ! 

12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are 
in their feasts : but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither 
consider the operation of his hands. 

13 IT Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they 
have no knowledge : and their honorable men are famished, and their 
multitude dried up with thirst. 

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth 
without measure : and their glory, and their multitude, and their 
pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man 
shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled : 

16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God 
that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. 

17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste 
places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. 

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin 
as it were with a cart rope : 

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we 
may see it : and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh 
and come, that we may know it ! 

20 IF Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; that put 
darkness for light, and light for darkness ; that put bitter for sweet, 
and sweet for bitter ! 

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in 
their own sight ! 

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of 
strength to mingle strong drink : 

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the right- 
eousness of the righteous from him ! 

24 Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame 
consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their 
blossom shall go up as dust : because they have cast away the law 

r of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of 
Israel. 

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people^ 
and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten 
them : and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the 
midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but 

' his hand is stretched out still. 

26 V And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will 



96 



Isaiah. 



hiss unto them from the end of the earth : and, behold, they shall 
come with speed swiftly : 

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them ; none shall 
slumber nor sleep ; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, 
nor the latchet of their shoes be broken : 

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their 
horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a 
whirlwind : 

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young 
lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry 
it away safe, and none shall deliver it. 

30 And in that day they shall roar against them, like the roaring of 
the sea : and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, 
and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. 

ISAIAH, VI. 

1 * In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting 
upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 

2 Above it stood the seraphims : each one had six wings ; with 
twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and 
with twain he did fly. 

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the 
Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of his glory. 

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, 
and the house was filled with smoke. 

5 IF Then said I, Woe is me ! for 1 am undone ; because I am a 
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean 
lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in 
his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from oft the altar: 

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched 
thy lips : and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, 
and who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I ; send me. 

9 IT x\nd he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but 
understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, 
and shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with 
their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be 
healed. 

11 Then said I, Lord, how long ? And he answered, Until the 
cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and 
the land be utterly desolate, 

12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a 
great forsaking in the midst of the land. 

13 IT But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be 
eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, 
when they cast their leaves : so the holy seed shall be the substance 
thereof. 



* The manner of expression here, seems to indicate that this was not the 
prophet's first vision. 



Joiham. Hosea. 



97 



2 CHRONICLES, XXVII. 



1 Jotham ivas twenty and five years old when he began to reign ; 
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem : his mother's name also 
was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. 

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, 
according to all that his father Uzziah did : howbeit, he entered 
not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet cor- 
ruptly, 

3 * He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the 
wall of Ophel he built much. 

4 Moreover, he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the 
forests he built castles and towers. 

5 IT He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed 
against them. And the children of Amnion gave him the same year 
an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and 
ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay 
unto him, both the second year and the third. 

6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways 
before the Lord his God. 



The distress and captivity of Israel for their sitis and idolatry. 

1 Rejoice not, Israel, for joy, as other people : for thou hast gone 
a whoring from thy God ; thou hast loved a reward upon every corn- 
floor. 

2 The floor and the wine-press shall not feed them, and the new 
wine shall fail in her. 

3 They shall not dwell in the Lord's land ; but Ephraim shall 
return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. 

4 They shall not offer wine- offerings to the Lord, neither shall 
they be pleasing unto him : their sacrifices shall be unto them as the 
bread of mourners ; all that eat thereof shall be polluted : for their 
bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord. 

5 What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of 
the Lord ? 

6 For, lo, they are gone because of destruction : Egypt shall 
gather them up, Memphis shall bury them : the pleasant places for 
their silver, nettles shall possess them : thorns shall be in their 
tabernacles. 

7 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are 
come ; Israel shall know it : the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man 
is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. 

8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God : but the prophet 
is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his 



9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of 
Gibeah : therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their 
sins. 

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness ; I saw your fathers 



HOSEA, IX. 



B. C. 755.f 



God. 



* B. C. 755. 



j Townsend, 725. 



8 * 



98 



Hosea, 



as the first ripe in the fig-tree at her first time ; but they went to 
Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto thai shame ; and their 
abominations were according as they loved. 

11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall flyaway like a bird, from the 
birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. 

12 Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave thenu 
that there shall not be a man left : yea, woe also to them when I 
depart from them 1 

13 Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place : but 
Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. 

14 Give them, Lord : what wilt thou give ? give them a mis- 
carrying womb and dry breasts. 

15 All their wickedness is in Giigal : for there I hated them : for 
the wickedness of their doings 1 will drive them out of mine house, 
I will love them no more : all their princes are revolters. 

16 Ephraim i? smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no 
fruit : yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved 
fruit of their womb. 

17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken 
unto him ; and they shall be wanderers among the nations, 

B. C. 746.* hosea, x. 

Israel is reproved and threatened for their impiety and idolatry, 

1 Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: 
according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars ; 
according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly 
images. 

2 Their heart is divided ; now shall they be found faulty ; he shall 
break down their altars, he shall spoil their images. 

3 For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared 
not the Lord : what then should a king do to us ? 

4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant : 
thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the 
field. 

5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of 
Beth-aven : for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the 
priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is 
departed from it. 

6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb : 
Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own 
counsel. 

7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water. 

8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroy- 
ed : the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars ; and they 
shall say to the mountains, Cover us ; and to the hills, Fall on 
us. 

9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah : there they 
stood : the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not 
overtake them. 

10 It is in my desire that I should chastise them ; and the people 



* Townsend, 725, 



Hosea. Micah. 



99 



shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in 
their two furrows. 

11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread 
out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make 
Ephraim to ride ; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his 
clods. 

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break up 
your fallow ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come 
and rain righteousness upon you. 

13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity ; ye have 
eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the 
multitude of thy mighty men. 

14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy 
fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day 
of battle : the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. 

15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness : 
in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off. 

micah, i. B. C. 743, 

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the 
days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw 
concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 

2 IF Hear, all ye people ; hearken, earth, and all that therein is: 
and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy 
temple. 

3 For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will 
come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 

4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys 
shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are 
poured down a steep place. 

5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the 
house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not 
Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not 
Jerusalem? 

6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as 
plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into 
the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. 

7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and 
all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols 
thereof will I lay desolate : for she gathered it of the hire of an 
harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. 

8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked : I 
will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 

9 For her wound is incurable ; for it is come unto Judah; he is 
come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 

10 r Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house 
of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. 

11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame 
naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of 
Beth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing. 

12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but 
evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. 



100 



Ahaz. Mi call. 



13 thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift 
beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for 
the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. 

14 Therefore shall thou give presents to Moresheth-gath : the 
houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 

15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: 
he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. 

16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge 
thy baldness as the eagle ; for they are gone into captivity from 
thee. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXVII. 

9 IT And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the 
city of David : and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXVIII. 

Ahaz, reigning wickedly, is afflicted by the Syrians : he dying-, 
Hezekiah succeedeth him. 

1 Ahaz teas twenty years old when he began to reign ; and he 
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem : but he did not that which was 
right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father. 

2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also 
molten images for Baalim. 

3 Moreover, he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, 
and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the 
heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 

4 He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places, and on 
the hills, and under every green tree. 

B. C. 740. 31icah, ii. 

1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds ! 
when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power 
of their hand. 

2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence: and houses, 
and take them away : so they oppress a man and his house, even a 
man and his heritage. 

3 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Behold, against this family do I 
devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove" your necks ; neither 
shall ye go haughtily : for this time is evil. 

4 II in that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament 
with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath 
changed the portion of my people : how hath he removed it from 
me ! turning away he hath divided our fields. 

5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in 
the congregation of the Lord. 

6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy : they shall not 
prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. 

7 fl thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the 
Lord straitened? are these his doings ? do not my words do a'ood to 
him that walketh uprightly ? 



Micah. Ahaz. Isaiah. 



8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy : ye pull off the 
robe with the garment from them that pass by securely, as men 
averse from war. 

. 9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant 
houses ; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 

10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is 
polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. 

11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood, do lie, saying, I 
will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink ; he shall even 
be the prophet of this people. 

12 IT I will surely assemble, Jacob, all of thee ; I will surely 
gather the remnant of Israel ; I will put them together as the sheep 
of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold ; they shall make 
great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 

13 The breaker is come up before them : they have broken up and 
have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it : and their king 
shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them. 

2 KINGS, XVI. 

5 Then Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah, son of Remaliah king of 
Israel, came up to Jerusalem to war : and they besieged Ahaz, but 
could not overcome him. 

6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and 
drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and 
dwelt there unto this day. 

2 KINGS, XV. 

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, came Tiglath-pileser king 
of Assyria, and took Jjon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and 
Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, 
and carried them captive to Assyria. 

isaiah j xvii. B. C. 739.* 

Syria and Israel threatened. A remnant shall forsake idolatry; 
the rest shall be plagued for their impiety. 

1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away 
from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. 

2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken : they shall be for flocks, which 
shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 

3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom 
from Damascus and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory 
of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts. 

4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob 
shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. 

5 And it shall be as when the harvest man gathereth the corn, and 
reapeth the ears with his arm ; and it shall be as he that gathereth 
ears in the valley of Rephaim. 

6 If Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an 



* Townsend, 742. 



102 



Isaiah. Oded. 



olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough a 
four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord 
God of Israel. 

7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall 
have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 

8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither 
shall respect that wiiich his fingers have made, either the groves or 
the images. 

9 TF In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bongh, and 
an uppermost branch which they left because of the children of 
Israel : and there shall be desolation. 

10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast 
not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou 
plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 

11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the 
morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall 
he a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. 

12 IT Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise 
like the noise of the seas ; and to the rushing of nations, that make a 
rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 

13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters : but 
Got? shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased 
as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing 
before the whirlwind. 

14 And behold at evening-tide trouble ; and before the morning he 
is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them 
that rob us. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXVIII. 

5 Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him [Ahaz] into the 
hand of the king of Syria ; and they smote him, and carried away a 
great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus ; 
and he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who 
smote him with a great slaughter. 

6 IT For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, slew in Judah an hundred 
and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because 
they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. 

7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's 
son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was 
next to the king. 

8 And the children of Israel carried away captive, of their 
brethren, two hundred thousand, women, sons and daughters, and 
took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to 
Samaria. 

9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded ; 
and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto 
them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth 
with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have 
slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven. 

10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and 
Jerusalem for bondmen and bond-women unto you : hut are there 
not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God ? 



Isaiahs Ahaz. 



103 



11 Now hear me, therefore, and deliver the captives again, which 
ye have taken captive of your brethren : for the fierce wrath of the 
Lord is upon you. 

12 Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah, 
the son of Johanan. Berechiah, the son of Meshillemotb, and Jehiz- 
kiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up 
against them, that came from the war, 

13 And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: 
for whereas sve have offended against the Lord already, ye intend 
to add more to our sins and to our trespass ; for our trespass is great, 
and there is fierce wrath against Israel. 

14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the 
princes and all the congregation. 

15 And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took 
the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among 
them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to 
drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon 
asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, to their 
brethren : then they returned to Samaria. 

ISAIAH, VII. 

1 And it came to pass, in the days of Ahaz the sen of Jotham, the 
son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and 
Pekah, the son of Remaliah king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem 
to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 

2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate 
with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his 
people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. 

3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, 
thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the 
upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field ; 

4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet ; fear not, neither 
be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking fire-brands, for the 
fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 

5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken 
evil counsel against thee, saying, 

6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach 
therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of 
Tabeal ; 

7 Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it 
come to pass. 

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus 
is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be 
broken, that it be not a people. 

9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is 
Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not he 
established. 

10 11 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, ask it either in the depth, 
or in the height above. 

12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the 
Lord. 



104 



Isaiah. 



13 And he said, Hear ye now, house of David ! Is it a small 
thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also ? 

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold a 
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name IM- 
MANUEL. 

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the 
evil and choose the good. 

16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose 
the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her 
kings. 

17 IT The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and 
upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that 
Ephraim departed from Judah ; even the king of Assyria. 

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss 
for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and 
for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 

19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate 
valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon 
all bushes. 

20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, 
namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, 
and the hair of the feet ; and it shall also consume the beard. 

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish 
a young cow and two sheep : 

22 And k shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they 
shall give that he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every 
one eat that is left in the land. 

23 And it shall come to pass in that day. that every place shall be, 
where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall 
even be for briers and thorns. 

24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither ; because 
all the land shall become briers and thorns. 

25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there 
shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns : but it shall be 
for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle. 

ISAIAH, VIII. 

A prophecy against Syria, and Israel, and Judah. God's judg- 
ments irresistible. Comfort to them that fear God. Great 
afflictions to idolaters. 

1 Moreover, the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and 
write in it with a man's pen. concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 

2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, 
and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah. 

3 And I went unto the prophetess ; and she conceived and bare a 
son: then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalai-hash- 
baz : 

4 For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and 
my mother, the riches of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, shall 
be taken away before the king of Assyria. 



Ahaz. 



105 



2 KINGS, XVI. 

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, 
saying, I am thy servant, and thy son : come up and save me out of 
the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of 
Israel, which rise up against me. 

8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of 
the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a 
present to the king of Assyria. 

9 And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him ; for the king of 
Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people 
of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 

10 IT And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser 
king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus : and king 
Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern 
of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. 

11 And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king 
Ahaz had sent from Damascus : so Urijah the priest made it against 
king Ahaz came from Damascus. 

12 And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw 
the altar : and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. 

13 And he burnt his burnt-offering, and his meat-offering;, and 
poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offer- 
ings upon the altar. 

14 And he brought also the brazen altar, which was before the 
Lord, from the fore front of the house, from between the altar and 
the house of the Lord, and pat it on the north side of the altar. 

15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the 
great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meat- 
offering, and the king's burnt-sacrifice, and his meat-offering, with 
the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meat- 
offering, and their drink offerings ; and sprinkle upon it all the blood 
of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice : and the 
brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by. 

16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz 
commanded. 

17 IT And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed 
the laver from off them ; and took down the sea from off the brazen 
oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones ; 

18 And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, 
and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord 
for the king of Assyria. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXVIII. 

17 * For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and 
carried away captives. 

18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, 
and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, 
and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah 
with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and 
they dwelt there. 

* Here Mr. Tovvnsend introduces the prophecy of Obadiah. His reason for it is, 
the prediction seems to be adapted to the historical fact here recorded. 

9 



Ahaz. Ho shea, Isaiah. 



19 For the Lord brought Judah low, because of Ahaz king of 
Israel ; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the 
Lord. 

20 And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and 
distressed him, but strengthened him not. 

21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, 
and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it 
unto the king of Assyria : but he helped him not. 

22 T\ And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more 
against the Lord : this is that king Ahaz. 

23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus which smote him ; 
and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, 
therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me : but they 
were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 

24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, 
and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the 
doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every 
corner of Jerusalem. 

25 And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn 
incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his 
fathers. 

2 KINGS, XV. 

30 IT And Hoshea, the son of Elah, made a conspiracy against 
Pekah, the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and 
reigned" in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham, the son of 
Uzziah. 

ISAIAH, x. % 

1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write 
grievousness which they have prescribed ; 

2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the 
right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, 
and that they may rob the fatherless ! 

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desola- 
tion which shall come from far ? to whom will ye flee for help ? and 
where will ye leave your glory ? 

4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they 
shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, 
but his hand is stretched out still. 

5 t H O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their 
hand is mine indignation. 

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the 
people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and 
to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the 
streets. 



* After an interregnum of about seven years, or seven or eight years employed 
in efforts to secure the kingdom. So a king is sometimes said to reign several 
years more than is reckoned to him at another time ; because some kings associa- 
ted their sons with them in the government some years before their death. In 
which cases the date of both governments is sometimes embraced; and sometimes 
that of one only. 

f Townsend 715>. Let the reader consult the notes of Mr. Scott. 



Isaiah. 



107 



7 Howbeit, he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so ; but 
it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 

8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings ? 

9 Is not Calno as Carchemish ? is not Hamath as Arpad ? is not 
Samaria as Damascus ? 

10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose 
graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria ; 

11 Shall 1 not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to 
Jerusalem and her idols ? 

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath 
performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will 
punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the 
glory of his high looks. 

13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and 
by my wisdom ; for I am prudent : and I have removed the bounds 
of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down 
the inhabitants like a valiant man. 

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people : 
and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth ; 
and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or 
peeped. 

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith ? 
or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it ? as if the 
rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff 
should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. 

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts send among his fat 
ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the 
burning of a fire. 

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for 
a flame : and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one 
day; 

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful 
field, both soul and body : and they shall be as when a standard 
bearer fainteth. 

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child 
may write them. 

20 IF And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of 
Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more 
again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, 
the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 

21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the 
mighty God. 

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a 
remnant of them shall return : the consumption decreed shall over- 
flow with righteousness. 

23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even 
determined, in the midst of all the land. 

24 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that 
dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee 
with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of 
Egypt. 

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and 
mine anger in their destruction. 



108 



Isaiah. 



26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according 
to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb : and as his rod was 
upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 

27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be 
taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, 
and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. 

28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron ; at Michmash he 
hath laid up his carriages : 

29 They are gone over the passage : they have taken up their 
lodging at Geba ; Ramah is afraid ; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 

30 Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim : cause it to be heard 
unto Laishj O poor Anathoth. 

31 Madmenah is removed ; the inhabitants of Gebim gather them- 
selves to flee. 

32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day : he shall shake his hand 
against the mount of the. daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 

33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with 
terror : and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the 
haughty shall be humbled. 

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and 
Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. 

ISAIAH, XI. 

The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse. 
The restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles. 

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a 
Branch shall grow out of his roots : 

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of 
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit 
of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord ; 

3 And shall make Mm of quick understanding in the fear of the 
Lord : and he shall not judge after the light of his eyes, neither 
reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove 
with equity for the meek of the earth : and he shall smite the earth 
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he 
slay the wicked. 

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness 
the girdle of his reins. 

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall 
lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the 
fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie 
down together : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the 
weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice-den. 

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the 
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover 
the sea. 

10 IT And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall 
stand for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek : and 
his rest shall be glorious. 



Isaiah. 



109 



11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set 
his hand again the second time to recover the" remnant of his people, 
which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros. 
and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, 
and from the islands of the sea. 

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble 
the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from 
the four corners of the earth. 

13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries 
of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah 
shall not vex Ephraim. 

14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward 
the west ; they shall spoil them of the east together : they shall lay 
their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Amnion shall 
obey them. 

15 And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian 
sea ; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the 
river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over 
dry-shod. 

16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, 
which shall be left from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day 
that he came up out of the land of Egypt. 

ISAIAH, XII. 

A thanksgiving for the mercies of God. 

1 And in that day thou shalt say, Lord, I will praise thee : 
though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and 
thou comforted st me. 

2 Behold, God is my salvation ; I will trust, and not be afraid : for 
the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is be- 
come my salvation. 

3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of 
salvation. 

4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his 
name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his 
name is exalted. 

5 Sing unto the Lord ; for he hath done excellent things : this is 
known in all the earth. 

6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion : for great is the 
Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. 

isaiah, viii. B. C. 737. 

5 IT The Lord spake also unto me again, saying, 

6 Forasmuch as this people refusetrf the waters of Shiloah that go 
softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son : 

7 Now, therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the 
waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and 
all his glory ; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go 
over all his banks. 

8 And he shall pass through Judah : he shall overflow and go over ; 
lie shall reach even to the neck : and the stretching out of his wings 
-hall fill the breadth of thy land. Immanuel. 

9 * 



110 



Isaiah, 



9*1T Associate yourselves, ye people, and ye shall be broken in 
pieces ; and give ear, all ye of far countries : gird yourselves, and 
ye shall be broken in pieces ; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken 
in pieces. 

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the 
word, and it shall not stand : for God is with us. 

11 IT For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and 
instructed me, that I should not walk in the way of this people, 
saying, 

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people 
shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear ? 
and let him be your dread. 

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling, 
and for a rock of offence, to both the nouses of Israel ; for a gin and 
for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken* 
and be snared, and be taken. 

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the 
house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 

18 Behold I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are 
for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which 
dwelleth in mount Zion. 

19 *i\ And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have 
familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter ; should 
not a people seek unto their God ? for the living to the dead ? 

20 To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not according 
to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 

21 And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry : and 
it shall come to pass, that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret 
themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 

22 And they shall look unto the earth ; and behold trouble and 
darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to dark* 
ness. 

ISAIAH, IX. 

What joy shall be in the midst of afflictions by the birth and king- 
dom of Christ. The judgments upon Israel for their pride, for 
their hypocrisy, and for their impenitency. 

1 Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her 
vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, 
and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict 
her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 

2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ; 
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath 
the light shined. 

3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, anduot increased the joy : they 
joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice 
when they divide the spoil. 

4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his 
shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 



Isaiah. 



II 



5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and 
garments rolled in blood ; but this shall be with burning and fuel of 
fire. 

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the gov- 
ernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called 
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father. 
The Prince of Peace. 

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no 
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, 
and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth 
even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. 

8 IT The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upoa 
Israel. 

9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim, and the inhabitant 
of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn 
stones ; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into 
cedars. 

11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against 
him, and join his enemies together ; 

12 The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind ; and they shall 
devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned 
away, but his hand is stretched out still. 

13 !F For the people turneth not unto him thatsmiteth them, neither 
do they seek the Lord of hosts. 

14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, 
branch and rush, in one day. 

15 The ancient and honorable, he is the head ; and the prophet 
that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they thai 
are led of them are destroyed. 

17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, 
neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows : for every 
one is an hypocrite and an evil doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. 
For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched 
out still. 

18 IF For wickedness burneth as the fire ; it shall devour the briers 
and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they 
shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. 

19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, 
and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire ; no man shall spare his 
brother. 

20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry ; and he 
shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied : they shall 
eat every man the flesh of his own arm : 

21 Manasseh, Ephraim ; and Ephraim, Manasseh : and they 
together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned 
away, but his hand is stretched out still. 

isaiah, xiii. B. C. 736. 

God muster eth the armies of his wrath : he threateneth to destroy 
Babylon by the Jledes : the desolation therof. 
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, did see. 



112 



Isaiah. 



2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice 
unto thera, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the 
nobles. 

3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my 
mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my high- 
ness, 

4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great 
people ; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered 
together : the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. 

5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even 
the Loud, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole 
land. 

6 IT Howl ye ; for the day of the Lord is at hand ; it shall come 
as a destruction from the Almighty. 

7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall 
melt : 

8 And they shall be afraid : pangs and sorrows shall take hold of 
them ; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth ; they shall 
be amazed one at another ; their faces shall he as flames. 

9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and 
fierce anger, to lay the land desolate ; and he shall destroy the sinners 
thereof out of it. 

10 For the stars of heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not 
give their light : the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and 
the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for 
their iniquity ; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, 
and will lay* low the haughtiness of the terrible. 

12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold ; even a man 
than the golden wedge of Ophir. 

13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove 
out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of 
his fierce anger. 

14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man 
taketh up : they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee 
every one into his own land. 

15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through ; and every one 
that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. 

16 their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes ; 
their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. 

17 Behold, 1 will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not 
regard silver ; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. 

18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces ; and they 
shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb ; their eye shall not spare 
children. 

19 % And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chal- 
dee's excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and 
Gomorrah. 

20 it shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from 
generation to generation ; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, 
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there : 

21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there ; and their houses 
shall be full of doleful creatures.; and owls shall dwell there, and 
satyrs shall dance there. 



Isaiah. 



113 



22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate 
houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces : and her time is 
near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. 

ISAIAH, XIV. 

God's merciful restoration of Israel : their triumphant insultation 
over Babel. 

1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose 
Israel, and set them in their own land : and the strangers shall be 
joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 

2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place ; 
and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for 
servants and handmaids : and they shall take them captives, whose 
captives they were ; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 

3 r And it shall come to pass, in the daj^ that the Lord shall give 
thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard 
bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 

4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, 
and say, How hath the oppressor ceased ! the golden city ceased ! 

o The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre 
of the rulers. 

6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, 
he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hin- 
dereth. 

7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet : they break forth into 
singing. 

8 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, 
saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against 
us. 

9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: 
it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth ; 
it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 

10 All they shall speak, and say unto thee, Art thou also become 
weak as we ? Art thou become like unto us ? 

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy 
viols : the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morn- 
ing ! hoiv art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the 
nations ! 

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I 
will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the 
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north : 

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I will be like the 
Most High. 

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the 
pit. 

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider 
thee, saying;, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did 
shake kingdoms ; 

17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities 
thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners ? 

18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every 
one in his own house. 



114 



Isaiah. Ahaz. Hoshea. 



19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, 
and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a 
sword, that go down to the stones of the pit ; as a carcass trodden 
under feet. 

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast 
destroyed thy land, and slain thy people : the seed of evil-doers shall 
never be renowned. 

21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their 
fathers ; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face 
of the world with cities. 

22 For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and 
cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, 
saith the Lord. 

23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of 
water : and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the 
Lord of hosts. 

24 IT The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have 
thought, so shall it come to pass ; and as I have proposed, so shall it 
stand ; 

25 That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my 
mountains tread him under foot : then shall his yoke depart from off 
them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 

26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth ; 
and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 

27 For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall dis- 
annul it ? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it 
back ? 

28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 

29 TF Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him 
that smote thee is broken : for out of the serpent's root shall come 
forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 

30 And the first born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie 
down in safety; and I will kill thy root with- famine a and he shall 
slay thy remnant. 

31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina art dissolved: 
for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone 
in his appointed times. 

32 What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation ? 
That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall 
trust in it. 

B. C. 731 * 2 kings, xvii. 

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, began Hoshea, the 
son of Elah, to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. 

2 And he did that which teas evil in the sight of the Lord, but 
not as the kings of Israel that were before him. 

3 IT Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and 
Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXVIII. 

27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the 



* Townsend, 730. 



Heztkidh. 



115 



city, even in Jerusalem; but they brought him hot into the 

sepulchres of the kings of Israel : and Hezekiah his son reigned in 
his stead. 

2 chronicles, xxix. B. C. 728.* 

Hezekiah 9 s good reign : he restoreth religion. The house of God 
cleansed. 

1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years 
old ; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem : and his 
mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 

2 And he did that ivhith was right in the sight of the Lord 5 
according to all that David his father had done. 

3 IT He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the 
doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 

4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them 
together into the east street, 

5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites-, Sanctify now your- 
selves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and 
carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 

6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil 
in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have 
turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned 
their backs. 

7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the 
lamps, and have not burnt incense, nor offered burnt-offerings in the 
holy place, unto the God of Israel. 

8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusa- 
lem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to 
hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 

9 For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and 
our daughters, and our wives, are in captivity for this. 

10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God 
of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 

11 My sons, be not now negligent : for the Lord hath chosen you 
to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto 
him, and burn incense. 

12 IT Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, 
the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites : and of the- pons of 
Merari ; Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehalelel : and 
of the Gershonites ; Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of 
Joah : 

13 And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiei : and of the 
sons of Asaph ; Zechariah, and Mattaniah : 

14 And of the sons of Heman ; Jehiel, and Shimei : and of the 
sons of Jeduthun ; Shemaiah, and L T zziel. 

15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, 
and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words 
of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. 

16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the 
Lord to cleanse it, and brought oat all the uncleanness that they 



* Townsend, 726. 



116 



Hezekiah. 



found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the 
Lord. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook 
Kidron. 

17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, 
and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the 
Lord : so they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days ; and 
in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 

18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have 
cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt-offering, 
with all the vessels thereof, and the shew-bread table, with all the 
vessels thereof. 

19 Moreover, all the vessels which king Ahaz in his reign did cast 
away in his transgression have we prepared and sanctified, and, 
behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. 

20 IT Then Hezekiah the king rose earl y, and gathered the rulers 
of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 

21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven 
lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for 
the sanctuary, and for Judah : and he commanded the priests, the 
sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 

22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, 
and sprinkled it on the altar : likewise, when they had killed the 
rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the 
lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar. 

23 And they brought forth the he-goats for the sin-offering before 
the king and the congregation ; and they laid their hands upon 
them: 

24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with 
their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel : for 
the king commanded, that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering 
should be made for all Israel. 

25 And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, 
with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of 
David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet : for so 
was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets. 

26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the 
priests with the trumpets. 

27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the 
altar : and when the burnt-offering began, the song of the Lord 
began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by 
David king of Israel. 

28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and 
the trumpeters sounded : and all this continued until the burnt- 
offering was finished. 

29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and 
all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. 

30 Moreover, Hezekiah the king, and the princes, commanded 
the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David, 
and of Asaph the seer : and they sang praises with gladness, and 
they bowed their heads and worshipped. 

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated 
yourselves unto the Lord, come near, and bring sacrifices and 
thank-offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation 



Hezekiah. 



117 



brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings ; and, as many as were of a 
free heart, burnt-offerings. 

32 And the number of the burnt-offerings, which the congregation 
brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, cme? two 
hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt-offering to the Lord. 

33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen, and three 
thousand sheep. 

34 But the priests were too few, so that they could not slay all the 
burnt-offerings : wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them 
till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified 
themselves ; for the Levites ivere more upright in heart to sanctify 
themselves than the priests. 

35 And also the burnt -offerings were in abundance, with the fat of 
the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. 
So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. 

36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had pre- 
pared the people : for the thing was done suddenly. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXX. 

Hezekiah proclaimeth a passover. The assembly destroy the altars 
of idolatry. 

1 And Hezekiah sent to ail Israel and Judah, and wrote letters 
also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house 
of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God 
of Israel. 

2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the 
congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second 
month. 

3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had 
not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered 
themselves together to Jerusalem. 

4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation, 

5 So they established a decree, to make proclamation throughout 
all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to 
keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem ; for 
they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 

6 So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes 
throughout ail Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment 
of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord 
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the 
remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of 
Assyria. 

7 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which 
trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who, therefore, 
gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 

8 Now, be ye not stiff-necked as your fathers ivere, but yield 
yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he 
hath sanctified for ever ; and serve the Lord your God, that the 
fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 

9 For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your 
children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so 
that they shall come again into this land : for the Lord your God is 

10 



118 



Hezekiah. 



gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if 
ye return unto him. 

10 So the posts passed from city to city, through the country c* 
Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun : but they laughed then 
to scorn, and mocked them. 

11 Nevertheless, divers of Asher, and Manasseh, and of Zebulun^ 
humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. 

12 Also in Judah, the hand of God was to give them one heart to 
do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of 
the Lord. 

13 IT And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the 
feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congre- 
gation. 

14 And they arose, and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem^ 
and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into tha 
brook Kidron. 

15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the 
second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and 
sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt-offerings into the 
house of the Lord. 

16 And they stood in their place, after their manner, according tc 
the law of Moses, the man of God : the priests sprinkled the bloody 
which they received of the hand of the Levites ; 

17 For there were many in the congregation that were not sane* 
tified ; therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of th<* 
passovers for every one that ivas not clean, to sanctify them unto th< 
Lord. 

18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and 
Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves* 
yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written: but 
Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good Lord pardon every 
one 

19 That prepare th his heart to seek God, the Lord God of hi4> 
fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of tha 
sanctuary. 

20 And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 

21 And the children of Israel, that were present at Jerusalem- 
kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: 
and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing 
with loud instruments unto the Lord. 

22 And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites tha' 
taught the knowledge of the Lord : and they did eat throughout the 
feast seven days, offering peace-offerings, and making confession t(| 
the Lord God of their fathers. 

23 And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days I 
and they kept other seven days with gladness. 

24 For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation a 
thousand bullocks, and seven thousand sheep ; and the princes gave 
to the congregation a thousand bullocks, and ten thousand sheep : 
and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 

25 And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the 
Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the 



Hezekiah, 



119 



strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, 
rejoiced. 

26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem : for since the time of 
Solomon, the son of "David king of Israel, there was not the like in 
Jerusalem. 

27 Then the priests the Levites arose, and blessed the people : 
and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy 
dwelling-place, even unto heaven. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXI. 

The people forward in destroying idolatry. Hezekiah appoint eth 
officers to dispose of the tithes: his sincerity. 

1 Now, when all this was finished, all Israel that were present 
went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and 
cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars 
out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, 
until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children 
of Israel returned every man to his possession into their own 
cities. 

2 IT And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests, and the 
Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the 
priests and Levites for burnt-offerings, and for peace-offerings, to 
minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents 
of the Lord. 

3 He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the 
burnt-offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt- 
offerings, and the burnt-offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new 
moons," and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the 
Lord. 

4 Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to 
give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be 
encouraged in the law of the Lord. 

5 IT And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of 
Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, 
and honey, and of all the increase of the field ; and the tithe of all 
things brought they in abundantly. 

6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in 
the cities of Judah, they r also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, 
and the tithe of holy things, which were consecrated unto the Lord 
their God, and laid them by heaps. 

7 In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, 
and finished them in the seventh month. 

8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, 
they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 

9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites 
concerning the heaps. 

10 And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered 
him, and said, Since the peopAe began to bring the offerings into the 
house of the Lord we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: 
for the Lord hath blessed his people ; and that which is left is this 
great store. 



120 



Hezekiah. Hosea. 



11 U Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house 
of the Lord : and they prepared them ; 

12 And brought in the offerings, and the tithes, and the dedicated 
things, faithfully : over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and 
Shimei his brother was the next. 

13 And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, 
and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah s 
were overseers, under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, 
at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of 
the house of God. 

14 And Kore, the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the 
east, was over the free will offerings of God, to distribute the oblations 
of the Lord, and the most holy things. 

15 And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and 
Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shechaniah, in the cities of the priests, in 
their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the 
great as to the small ; 

16 Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and 
upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the 
Lord, his daily portion for their service in their charges, according 
to their courses ; 

17 Both to the genealogy of the priests bv the house of their 
fathers, and the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, in their 
charges, by their courses ; 

18 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and 
their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation : for in 
their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness : 

19 Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of 
he suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were 
expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the 
priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the 
Levites. 

20 TT And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought 
that which toas good, and right, and truth, before the Lord his 
God. 

21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of 
God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he 
did it with all his heart, and prospered. 

B. C. 726.* hosea, xi. 

The ingratitude of Israel unto God for his benefits : their judg- 
ment. 

1 When Israel ivas a child, then I loved him, and called my son 

out of Egypt. 

2 As they called them, so they went from them : they sacrificed 
unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. 

3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms ; but 
they knew not that I healed them. 

4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love ; and I was 



* Townsend, 725. 



Hosea. 



121 



to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat 
unto them. 

5 IF He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian 
shall be his king, because they refused to return. 

6 And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his 
branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. 

7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me : though they 
called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt Mm. 

8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how shall I deliver thee, 
Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah ? how shall I set thee as 
Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled 
together. 

9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return 
to destroy Ephraim : for I am God, and not man ; the Holy One in the 
midst of thee : and I will not enter into the city. 

10 They shall walk after the Lord : he shall roar like a lion: 
when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the 
west. 

11 They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of 
the land of Assyria : and I will place them in their houses, saith the 
Lord. 

12 Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel 
with deceit : but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the 
saints. 

HOSEA, XII. 

A reproof of Ephraim, Jadah, and Jacob. An exhortation to 
repentance, 

1 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he 
daily increaseth lies and desolation ; and they do make a covenant 
with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt. 

2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish 
Jacob according to his ways ; according to his doings will he recom- 
pense him. 

3 IT He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his 
strength he had power with God : 

4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed ; he wept and 
made supplication unto him : he found him in Beth-el, and there he 
spake with us ; 

5 Even the Lord God of hosts ; the Lord is his memorial. 

6 Therefore turn thou to thy God : keep mercy and judgment, 
and wait on thy God continually. 

7 IT He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand : he 
loveth to oppress. 

8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out 
substance : in all my labors they shall find none iniquity in me that 
were sin. 

9 And I, that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, will 
yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn 
feast. 

10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied 
visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. 

10 * 



122 



Ho sea. Micah. 



11 Is there iniquity in Gilead ? surely they are vanity: they 
sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal ; yea, their altars are as heaps in the 
furrows of the fields. 

12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for 
a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. 

13 And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and 
by a prophet was he preserved. 

14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly : therefore shall 
he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return 
unto him. 

B. C. 726.* MICAH, II T. 

1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, heads of Jacob, and ye princes 
of the house of Israel : is it not for you to know judgment ? 

2 Who hate the good, and love the evil ; who pluck off their skin 
from off them, and their flesh from off their bones ; 

3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and slay their skin from off 
them, and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the 
pot, and as flesh within the caldron. 

4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them ; 
he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have 
behaved themselves ill in their doings. 

5 IT Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my 
people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace ; and he that 
putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him : 

6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision ; 
and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine ; and the 
sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over 
them. 

7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded?; 
vea, they shall all cover their lips : for there is no answer of 
God. 

8 IF But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of 
judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and 
to Israel his sin. 

9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and 
princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all 
equity. 

10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 

11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof 
teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money : yet will 
they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us ? none 
evil can come upon us. 

12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be ploughed as a field, and 
Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the 
high places of the forest. 

MICAH, IV. 

The glory, peace, kingdom, and victory of the church. 
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of 



* Townsend, 722. 



Micah. Isaiah. 



123 



the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the moun- 
tains, and it shall be exalted above the hills ; and people shall flow 
unto it. 

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up 
to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob ; 
and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for 
the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jeru- 
salem. 

3 IF And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong 
nations afar off ; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,, 
and their spears into pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up a sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig- 
tree ; and none shall make them afraid : for the mouth of the Lord of 
hosts hath spoken it. 

5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and 
we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. 

6 IF In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, 
and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have 
afflicted : 

7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was 
cast far off a strong nation : and the Lord shall reign over them in 
mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 

8 And thou, tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter 
of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion ; the king- 
dom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 

9 Now, why dost thou cry out aloud ? is there no king in thee ? is 
thy counsellor perished ? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in 
travail. 

10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, daughter of Zion, like a 
woman in travail ; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and 
thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon ; there 
shalt thou be delivered : there the Lord shall redeem thee from the 
hand of thine enemies. 

11 IT Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, 
Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 

12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither under- 
stand they his counsel : for he shall gather them as the sheaves into 
the floor. 

13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion : for I will make thine 
horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass ; and thou shalt beat in 
pieces many people : and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord^ 
and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. 

ISAIAH, XV. 

Hie lamentable state of Moab. 

1 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid 
waste, and brought to silence ; beeause in the night Kir of Moab is 
laid waste, and brought to silence : 

2 He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep : 
Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba ; on all their heads 
shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. 



124 



Isaiah. 



3 In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth : on 
the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, 
weeping abundantly. 

4 And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh ; their voice shall be heard 
even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; 
his life shall be grievous unto him. 

5 My heart shall cry out for Moab ; his fugitives shall flee unto 
Zoar, an heifer of three years old : for by the mounting up of Luhith 
with weeping shall they go it up ; for in the way of Horonaim they 
shall raise up a cry of destruction. 

6 For the waters of Nirftrim shall be desolate : for the hay is with- 
ered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. 

7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they 
have laid up, shall they cany away to the brook of the willows. 

8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab : the 
howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer- 
elim. 

9 For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood : for I will bring 
more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon 
the remnant of the land. 

ISAIAH, XVI. 

1 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the 
wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 

2 For it shall be, that as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so 
the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 

3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the 
night in the midst of the noonday : hide the outcasts, bewray not 
him that w r andereth. 

4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab : be thou a covert to 
them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, 
the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. - 

5 And in mercy shall the throne be established : and he shall sit 
upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking 
judgment, and hasting righteousness. 

6 IT We have heard of the pride of Moab ; he is very proud : even 
of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath : but his lies shall 
not be so. 

7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl ; for 
the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn ; surely they are 
stricken. 

8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah ; 
the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants 
thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the 
wilderness : her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the 
sea. 

9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of 
Sibmah : I will water thee with my tears, Heshbon, and Elealeh : 
for the shouting for thy summer-fruits and for thy harvest, is fallen. 

10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field ; 
and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be 



Isaiah. 



125 



shouting : the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses ; I 
have made their vintage shouting to cease. 

11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and 
mine inward parts for Kir-haresh. 

12 IT And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary- 
on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray ; but 
he shall not prevail. 

13 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning Moab 
since that time. 

14 But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as 
the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, 
with all that great multitude ; and the remnant shall be very small 
and feeble. 

ISAIAH, XXXII. 

1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall 
rule in judgment. 

2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a 
covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the 
shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 

3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of 
them that hear shall hearken. 

4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the 
tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 

5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl 
said to be bountiful. 

6 For the vile person will speak villany. and his heart will work 
iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, 
to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink 
of the thirsty to fail. 

7 The instruments also of the churl are evil : he deviseth wicked 
devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy 
speaketh right. 

8 But the liberal deviseth liberal things ; and by liberal things 
shall he stand. 

9 IT Rise up, ye women that are at ease ; hear my voice, ye care- 
less daughters ; give ear unto my speech. 

10 Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: 
for the vintage shall fail ; the gathering shall not come. 

11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease : be troubled, ye careless 
ones : strip ye, and make ye bare,, and gird sackcloth upon your 
loins. 

12 They shall lament for the tears, for the pleasant fields, for the 
fruitful vine. 

13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers ; 
yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city : 

14 Because the palaces shall be forsaken : the multitude of the 
city shall be left ; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a 
joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks : 

15 IT Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the 
wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a 
forest. 



126 



Isaiah. 



16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness 
remain in the fruitful field. 

17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace ; and the effect 
of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. 

18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in 
sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places ; 

19 When it shall hail, coming down on the forest ; and the city 
shall be low in a low place. 

20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither 
the feet of the ox and the ass. 

isaiah, xxviii. B. C. 726.* 

I Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose 
glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat 
valleys of them that are overcome with wine ! 

2. Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a 
tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters 
overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. 

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden i 
under feet : 

4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, 
shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer ; 
which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand 
he eateth it up. 

5 IT In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, 
and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people ; 

6 And for a spirit of judgment to liim that sitteth in judgment, and 
for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. 

7 IT But they also have erred through wine, and through strong 
drink are out of the way ; the priest and the prophet have erred j 
through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of { 
the way through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in 
judgment. 

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no 
place clean. 

9 IT Whom shall he teach knowledge ? and whom shall he make to ; 
understand doctrine ? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn 
from the breasts. 

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept ; line 
upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little : 

II For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to 
this people. 

12 To whom he said, This is the rest icherewithye may cause the 
weary to rest : and this is the refreshing : yet they would not 
hear. 

13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, 
precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line : here a little, 
and there a little ; that they might go, and fall backward, and be 
broken, and snared and taken. 



* Townsend, 740. 



Isaiah, 



127 



14 IT Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, thai 
rule this people which is in Jerusalem : 

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, 
and with hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge 

; shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies 
our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves : 

16 IF Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, 1 lay in Zion for 
a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure 

i foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste. 

17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the 
plummet : and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the 

i waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 

18 IF And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your 
agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge 
shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 

19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning 
' by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night ; and it shall be a 

vexation only to understand the report. 

20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on 
it : and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. 

21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be 
wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his 
strange work ; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 

22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made 
strong : for I have heard from the Lord God oi hosts a consumption , 

: ' even determined upon the whole earth. 

23 IT Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear ray 
speech. 

24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow ? doth he open and 
j break the clods of his ground ? 

25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast 
abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal 

I ' wheat and the appointed barley and the rye, in their place ? 

26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach 
I him. 

27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, 
neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the 

a fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. 

28 Bread corn is bruised ; because he will not ever be threshing 
I it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his 

horsemen. 

29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts which is won- 
derful in counsel, and excellent in working. 

ISAIAH, XXIX. 

God's judgment on Jerusalem : their senselessness, an I deep hy- 
pocrisy. A promise of sanctification. 

1 W T oe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city ivhere David dwelt ! add ye year 
to year; let them kill sacrifices. 

2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow 
and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 



128 



Isaiah. 



3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege 
against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 

4 And thou shait be brought down, and shalt speak out of the 
ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice 
shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit out of the ground, and 
thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 

5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, 
and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth 
away : yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 

6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and 
with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the 
flame of devouring fire. 

7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even 
all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall 
be as a dream of a night vision. 

8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, 
he eateth ; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty : or as when a 
thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh ; but he awaketh, 
and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite : so shall the mul- 
titude of all the nations be that fight against mount Zion. 

9 H Stay yourselves and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are 
drunken, but not with wine ; they stagger, but not with strong 
drink. 

10 For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, 
and hath closed your eyes : the prophets and your rulers, the seers, 
hath he covered. 

11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book 
that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read 
this, I pray thee : and he saith, I cannot ; for it is sealed : 

12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, 
Read this, I pray thee : and he saith, I am not learned. 

13 1T Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw 
near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have 
removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught 
by the precept of men : 

14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work 
among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder : for the 
wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their 
prudent men shall be hid. 

15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the 
Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? 
and who knoweth us ? 

16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as 
the potter's clay : for shall the work say of him that made it, He 
made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, 
He had no understanding ? 

17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned 
into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a 
forest ? 

18 IT And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and 
the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of dark- 
ness. 



Hoshea. Hosea. 



129 



19 The meek also shall increase ilieir joy in the Lord, and the 
poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 

20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is 
consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off : 

21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for 
him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of 
nought. 

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, con- 
cerning the house of Jacob. Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither 
shall his face now wax pale. 

23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the 
midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy 
One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 

24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and 
they that murmured shall learn doctrine. 



4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea : for he had 
sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the 
king of Assyria, as he had done year by year ; therefore the king of 
Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 

5 IT Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and* 
went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 



1 When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel ; 
but when he offended in Baal, he died. 

2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten 
images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, 
all of it the work of the craftsmen : they say of them, Let the men 
that sacrifice kiss the calves. 

3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early 
dew that passeth away; as the chaff that is driven with the whirl- 
wind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. 

4 Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou 
shalt know no god but me : for there is no saviour besides me. 

5 11 I did not know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great 
drought. 

6 According to their pasture, so were they filled ; they were 
filled, and their heart was exalted ; therefore have they forgotten 
me. 

7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion ; as a leopard by the 
way will I observe them. 

8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and 
will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like 
a lion : the wild beast shall tear them. 

9 r Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself ; but in me is thine 
help. 

10 I will be thy king : where is any other that may save thee in 
all thy cities ? and thy'judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king 
and princes ? 



2 KINGS, XVII. 



B. C. 725. 



HOSEA, XIII. 



B. C. 724. 



11 



130 



Ho sea. Ho shea. 



11 I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my 
wrath. 

12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up ; his sin is hid. 

13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him : he is 
an unwise son ; for he should not stay long in the place of the break- 
ing forth of children. 

14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; I will 
redeem them from death : death, I will be thy plagues ; O grave, 
I will be thy destruction : repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. 

15 IT Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall 
come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and 
his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up : he 
shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. 

16 Samaria shall become desolate ; for she hath rebelled against 
her God: they shall fall by the sword ; their infants shall be dashed 
in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up. 

B. C. 723.* ho sea j xiv. 

An exhortation to repentance. A promise of God's blessing. 

1 Israel, return unto the Lord thy God ; for thou hast fallen by 
thine iniquity. 

2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord : say unto him. 
Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously : so will we render 
the calves of our lips. 

3 Asshur shall not save us ; we will not ride upon horses ; neither 
will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods : 
for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 

4 TT I wull heal their backsliding, I will love them freely : for mine 
anger is turned away from him. 

5 I will be as the dew unto Israel : he shall grow as the lily, and 
cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 

6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive- 
tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 

7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return, they shall revive 
as the corn, and grow as the vine : the scent thereof shall be as the 
wine of Lebanon. 

8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols ? I 
have heard him, and observed him : I am like a green fir-tree : from 
me is thy fruit found. 

9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things ? prudent, 
and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and 
the just shall walk in them : but the transgressors shall fall therein. 

B. C. 721. 2 kings, xvn. 

6 *~ In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, 
and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and 
in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the 
Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of 



* Townsend, 725. 



Israel carried captive. 



131 



Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had 
feared other gods. 

8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, (whom the Lord 
cast out from before the children of Israel,) and of the kings of 
Israel, which they had made. 

9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not 
right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in 
all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 

10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, 
and under every green tree : 

11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the 
heathen whom the Lord carried away before them ; and wrought 
wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger. 

12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, 
Ye shall not do this thins;. 

13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all 
the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil 
ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to ail 
the law which 1 commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you 
by my servants the prophets. 

14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, 
like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord 
their God. 

15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made 
with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against 
them ; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after 
the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the 
Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them. 

16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, 
and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, 
and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 

17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through 
the fire, and used divination and inchantments, and sold themselves 
to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. 

18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed 
them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah 
only. 

19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, 
but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 

20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted 
them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast 
them out of his sight. 

21 For he rent Israel from the house of David ; and they made 
Jeroboam the son of Xebat king : and Jeroboam drave Israel from 
following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. 

22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam 
which he did : they departed not from them ; 

23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said 
by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of 
their own land to Assyria unto this day. 

24 r And the king of Assyria brought wen from Babylon, and from 
Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and 



132 



Israel in captivity, 



placed ihem in the cities of Samaria, instead of the children of Israel : 
and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. 

25 And so it was. at the beginning of their dwelling there, that 
they feared not the Lord ; therefore the Lord sent lions among 
them, which slew some of them. 

26 Wherefore they spake to the king; of Assyria, saying. The 
nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, 
know not the manner of the God of the land : therefore he hath sent 
lions among them, and behold, they slay them, because they know 
not the manner of the God of the land. 

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither 
one of the priests whom ye brought from thence, and let them go 
and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of 
the land. 

2S Then one of the priests, whom they had carried away from 
Samaria, came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they 
should fear the Lord. 

29 Howbeit, every nation made gods of their own, and put them 
in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, 
every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. 

30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of 
Cutb made ZSergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 

31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites 
burnt their children in tire to Adrammelech and Ananimelech the 
gods of Sepharvaim. 

32 So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the 
lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them 
in the houses of the high places. 

S3 They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the 
manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. 

34 L"nto this day they do after the former manners : they fear not 
the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordi- 
nances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord com- 
manded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel : 

35 With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, 
saying. Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor 
serve them, nor sacrifice to them : 

36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt 
with great power "and a stretched-out arm, him shall ye fear and him 
shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. 

37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the 
commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for 
evermore : and ye shall not fear other gods. 

SS And the covenant that i have made with you ye shall not forget, 
neither shall ye fear other gods. 

39 But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you 
out of the hand of all your enemies. 

40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former 
manner. 

41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven 
images, both their children and their children's children : as did their 
fathers, so do thev unto this dav. 



Joel. 



133 



joel, i. B. C. 720 * 

-Joel, declaring sundry judgments of God, exhorteth to observe them, 
and to mourn: he prescribeth a fast and prayer. 

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. 

2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear all ye inhabitants of the 
land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your 
fathers ? 

3 Tell ye your Children of it, and let your children tell their 
children, and their children another generation : 

4 That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten ; 
and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten ; and 
that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. 

5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep : and howl, all ye drinkers of 
wine, because of the new wine : for it is cut off from ycur mouth. 

6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without 
number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek- 
teeth of a great lion. 

7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig-tree : he hath 
made it clean bare., and cast it away ; the branches thereof are made 
white. 

8 IT Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of 
her youth. 

9 The meat-offering and the drink-offering is cut off from the 
house of the Lord ; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. 

10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth ; for the corn is wasted: 
the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. 

11 Be ye ashamed, ye husbandmen ; howl, ye vine-dressers, 
for the wheat and for the barley ; became the harvest of the field is 
perished. 

12 The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth ; the pome- 
granite-tree, the palrn-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees 
cf the field, are withered : because joy is withered away from the 
sons of men. 

13 Gird yourselves and lament, ye priests : howl, ye ministers of 
the altar: come lie, all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: 
for the meat-offering and the drink-offering is withholdeu from the 
house of your God. 

14 IT Sanctify ye a fas*, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders, 
and ail the inhabitants of the land, into the house of the Lord your 
God. and cry unto the Lord. 

15 Alas for the day ! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a 
destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 

16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness 
from the house of our God r 

17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid 
desolate, the barns are broken down ; for the corn is withered. 



* Chronologers differ considerably in their date of this prophecy. In the date 
above I follow Scott. Jahn dates it 28 years later, that is, B. C. 692; whilst others 
have dated it as early as B.C. 800: but all agree the precise date is uncertain. 
Townsend dates this prophecy B. C. 737. Thus making it synchronise with Amos 
and the former part of Hosea. 

u * 



134 



18 Haw do the beasts groan ; the herds of cattle are perplexed 
because they have no pasture ; yea, the flocks of sheep are made 
desolate. 

19 Lord, to thee will I cry : for the fire hath devoured the 
pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of 
the field. 

20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee : for the rivers of 
waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the 

wilderness, 

JOEL, IU 

The ferribjeness of God*s judgments : he exhorteth to repentance } 
prescribeth a fast, and proiniseth a blessing thereon. 

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy 
mountain : let all the inhabitants of the land tremble : for the day of 
the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand ; 

2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick 
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains : a great people 
and a strong ; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any 
more after it, even to the years of many generations. 

3 A fire devoureth before them ; and behind them a flame burneth : 
the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a 
desolate wilderness ; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses ; and as 
horsemen, so shall they run. ( 

5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they 
leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a 
strong people set in battle array. 

6 Before their face the people shall be much pained : all faces 
shall gather blackness. 

7 They shall run like mighty men ; they shall climb the wall tike 
men of war ; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they 
shall not break their ranks: 

8 Neither shall one thrust another : they shall walk every one in 
his path : and when they fall upon the sword they shall not be 
wounded. 

9 They shall run to and fro in the city ; they shall run upon the 
wall, they shall climb up upon the houses ; they shall enter in at the 
windows like a thief. 

10 The earth shall quake before them ; the heavens shall tremble : 
the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their 
shining : 

11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army : for his 
camp is very great : for he is strong that execute th his word : for the 
day of the Lord is great and very terrible ; and who can abide 

it? 

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all 
your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourn- 
ing: 

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the 
Lord your God : for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and 
of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 



Joel. 



135 



14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a 
blessing behind him ; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto 
the Lord your God ? 

15 r Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn 
assembly : 

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the 
elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts : let the 
bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the 
porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people. Lord, 
and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule 
over them : wherefore should they say among the people, Where is 
their God ? 

18 r Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his 
people. 

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I 
will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied 
therewith : and I will no more make you a reproach among the 
heathen : 

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will 
drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the 
east sea ; and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink 
shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up. because he hath done 
great things. 

21 r Fear not, land: be glad and rejoice : for the Lord will do 
great things. 

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field : for the pastures of the 
wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and 
the vine do yield their strength. 

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your 
God : for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will 
cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter 
rain in the first month. 

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow 
with wine and oil. 

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, 
the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great 
army which I sent among you. 

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name 
of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and 
my people shall never be ashamed. 

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I 
am the Lord your God, and none else : and my people shall never 
be ashamed. 

2S r And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my 
spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall 
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall 
see visions : 

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those 
•days will I pour out my Spirit. 

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, 
and fire, and pillars of smoke. 



136 



Joel. 



31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, 
before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the 
name of the Lord shall be delivered : for in mount Zion and in Jeru- 
salem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant 
whom the Lord shall call. 

JOEL, III. 

God's judgments against the enemies of his people : his blessing 
upon the church. 

1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring 
again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the 
valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people 
and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the 
nations, and parted my land. 

3 And they have cast lots for my people ; and have given a boy 
for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 

4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre and Zidon, and 
all the coasts of Palestine ? will ye render me a recompense ? and if 
ye recompense me, swiftly and _speedily will I return your recom- 
pense upon your own head : 

5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried 
into your temples my goodly pleasant things : 

6 The children also of Judah, and the children of Jerusalem have 
ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their 
border. 

7 Behold, 1 will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold 
them, and will return your recompense upon your own head : 

8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the 
children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people 
far off; for the Lord hath spoken it. 

9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up 
the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near ; let them come 
up : 

10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into 
spears : let the weak say, I am strong. 

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, ail ye heathen, and gather 
yourselves together round about : thither cause thy mighty ones to 
come down, Lord. 

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of 
Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round 
about. 

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe : come get you 
down: for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness 
is great. 

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision : for the clay of 
the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall 
withdraw their shining. 

16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from 



Joel, Isaiah. 



137 



Jerusalem ; and the heavens and the earth shall shake : but the 
Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children 
of Israel. 

17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in 
Zion, my holy mountain : then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there 
shall no strangers pass through her any more. 

18 IT And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall 
drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the 
rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come 
forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of 
Shittim. 

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate 
wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because 
they have shed innocent blood in their land. 

20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation 
to generation. 

21 For J will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed : for the 
Lord dwelleth in Zion. 

ISAIAH, XXX. 

The people threatened for their confidence in Egypt, and contempt 
of God's word. 

1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, 
but not of me ; and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit, 
that they may add sin to sin : 

2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my 
mouth ; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to 
trust in the shadow of Egypt ! 

3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the 
trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 

4 For his princes were at Zoan. and his ambassadors came to 
Hanes. 

5 They were all ashamed of a people, that could not profit them, 
nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 

6 The burden of the beasts of the south : into the land of trouble 
and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper, 
and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the 
shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of 
camels, to a people that shall not profit them. 

7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose : there- 
fore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. 

8 11 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, 
that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever; 

9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that 
will not hear the law of the Lord : 

10 Which say to the seers, See not ; and to the prophets, Prophesy- 
not unto us right things ; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy 
deceits : 

11 Get ye out of the way. turn aside out of the path, cause the 
holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 

12 Wherefore, thus saith the holy One of Israel, Because ye 



138 



Isaiah. 



despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay 
thereon : 

13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, 
swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an 
instant. 

14 And he shall break it as the breaking: of the potter's vessel that 
is broken in pieces ; he shall not spare : so that there shall not be 
found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth., or to 
take water withal out of the pit. 

15 For thus saith the Lord God, the holy One of Israel, In 
returning and rest shall ye be saved ; in quietness and in confidence 
shall be your strength ; and ye would not. 

16 But ye said, No ; for we will flee upon horses ; therefore shall 
ye flee : and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that 
pursue you be swift. 

17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one ; at the rebuke of 
five shall ye flee; till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a moun- 
tain, and as an ensign on an hill. 

IS r And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious 
unto you ; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy 
upon you : for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they 
that wait for him. 

19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem ; thou shalt 
weep no more : he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of 
thy cry ; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. 

20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the 
water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a 
corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers : 

21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is 
the waj*, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye 
turn to the left. 

22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, 
and the ornament of thy molten images of gold : thou shalt cast 
them away as a menstruous cloth ; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee 
hence. 

23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow 
the ground withal ; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it 
shall be fat and plenteous : in that day shall thy cattle feed in large 
pastures. 

24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall 
eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and 
with the fam 

25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every 
high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great 
slaughter, when the towers fall. 

26 Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, 
and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the lio-ht of seven days, 
in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and 
healeth the stroke of their wound. 

27 r , Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with 
his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy : his lips are full of indig- 
nation, and his tongue as a devouring fire : 

28 Amd his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the 



Isaiah 



139 



midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity : and 
there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to 
err. 

29 Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is 
kept ; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come 
into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel. 

30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and 
shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his 
anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and 
tempest, and hailstones. 

31 For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten 
down, which smote with a rod. 

32 And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which 
the Lord shall lay upon hfm, it shall be with tabrets and harps, and 
in battles of shaking will he fight with it. 

33 For Tophet is ordained of old ; yea, for the king it is prepared; 
he hath made it deep and large : the pile thereof is fire and much 
wood : the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle 
it. 

ISAIAH, XXXI. 

The prophet sheweth the cursed folly in trusting to Egypt, and 
forsaking God. 

1 AYoe to them that go down to Egypt for help ; and stay on 
horses, and trust in chariots, because they are man}- ; and in horse- 
men, because they are very strong ; but they look not unto the Holy 
One of Israel, neither seek the Lord ! 

2 Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil and will not call back his 
words : but will arise against the house of the evil doers, and against 
the help of them that work iniquity. 

3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God : and their horses flesh, 
and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he 
that helpeth shall fail, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they 
all shall fall together. 

4 For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me. Like as the lion and 
the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is 
called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor 
abase himself for the noise of them : so shall the Lord of hosts come 
down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. 

5 As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem ; 
defending also he will deliver it; and. passing over he will preserve 
it. 

6 IT Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have 
deeply revolted. 

7 For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and 
his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a 
sin. 

S *T Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty 
man ; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him : but he 
shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discom- 
fited. 



140 



Isaiah. 



9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes 
shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, 
and his furnace in Jerusalem. 

ISAIAH, XXXIV. 

The judgments wherewith God avengeth his church. The certainty 
of the prophecy. 

1 Come near, ye nations, to hear ; and hearken, ye people; let the 
earth hear, and all that is therein ; the world, and all things that 
come forth of it. 

2 For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury 
upon all their armies : he hath utterly destined them, he hath 
delivered them to the slaughter. 

3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up 
out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their 
blood. 

4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens 
shall be rolled together as a scroll : and all their host shall fall down, 
as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling Jig from the fig- 
tree. 

5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven : behold, it shall come 
down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 

6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood ; it is made fat with 
fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the 
kidneys of rams : for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great 
slaughter in the land of Idumea. 

7 And the unicorn shall come down with them, and the bullocks 
with the bulls ; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their 
dust made fat with fatness. 

8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of 
recompenses for the controversy of Zion. 

9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust 
thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning 
pitch. 

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day: the smoke thereof 
shall go up for ever : from generation to generation it shall lie waste ; 
none shall pass through it for ever and ever : 

11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it : the owl also 
and the raven shall dwell in it : and he shall stretch out upon it the 
line of confusion,, and the stones of emptiness. 

12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none 
shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 

13. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles 
in the fortresses thereof ; and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and 
a court for owls. 

14 The wild bea-ts of the desert shall also meet with the wild 
beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow : tbe 
screech-owl also shall rest there, and .find for herself a place 
of rest. 

15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, 
and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be 
gathered, every one with her mate ; 



Isaiah. Mi call. 



141 



16 IT Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read ; no one of 
these shall fail, none shall want her mate :^-for my mouth it hath 
commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. 

17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it 
unto them by line : they shall possess it for ever, from generation to 
generation shall they dwell therein. 

ISAIAH, XXXV. 

The joyful flourishing of Christ 9 s kingdom. The weak are en- 
couraged by the virtues and privileges of the gospel. 

1 The wilderness, and the solitary place, shall be glad for them : 
and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 

2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and sing- 
ing ; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of 
Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of ihe Lord, and the 
excellency of our God. 

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble 
knees. 

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not ; 
behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recom- 
pense ; he will come and save you. 

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the 
deaf shall be unstopped : 

6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the 
dumb sing : for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams 
in the desert. 

7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty 
land springs of water : in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, 
shall he grass, with reeds and rushes. 

8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be 
called, The way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass over it ; but 
it shall be for those : the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err 
therein. 

9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, 
it shall not be found there: but the redeemed shall walk there, 

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion 
with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall obtain joy 
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

3IICAH, V. 

The birth of Christ : his kingdom : his conquest. 

1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops : he hath laid 
siege against us ; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon 
the cheek. 

2 But thou, Beth-lehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among 
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me 
that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of 
old, from everlasting. 

3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which 
travaileth hath brought forth ; then the remnant of his brethren shall 
return unto the children of Israel. 

12 



142 



Micah. Isaiah. 



4 Tf And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in 
the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide : 
for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 

5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come 
into our land ; and, when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we 
raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the 
land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof : thus shall he deliver us 
from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he 
treadeth within our borders. 

7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people ? 
as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth 
not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. 

8 IT And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the 
midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as 
a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, 
both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. 

9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all 
thine enemies shall be cut off. 

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will 
cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy 
chariots : 

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy 
strong holds : 

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand ; and thou shalt 
have no more soothsayers : 

13 Thy graven images also will I cut off. and thy standing images, 
out of the midst of thee ; and thou shalt no more worship the work of 
thine hands. 

14 And I will pluck up thy groves, out of the midst of thee : so 
will I destroy thy cities. 

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the 
heathen, such as they have not heard. 

B. C. 718.* ISAIAH, XXII. 

The invasion of Jewry, by the Persians : their human wisdom 
reproved. 

1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that 
thou art wholly gone up, to the house-tops ? 

2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city : thy 
slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 

3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers : 
all that are found in thee are bound together which have fled from 
tar. 

4 Therefore said I, Look away from me : I will weep bitterly, 
labor not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my 
people. 

5 For it is a day of trouble^and of treading down, and of perplexity 
by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the 
walls, and of crying to the mountains. 



* TowQsend, 715. 



Isaiah. 



143 



6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, 
and Kir uncovered the shield. 

7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full 
of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the 
gate. 

8 IT And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look 
in that day to the armor of the house of the forest. 

9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they 
are many : and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 

10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the 
houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. 

11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of 
the old pool : but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither 
had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. 

12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and 
to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth : 

13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, 
eating flesh, and drinking wine : let us eat and drink ; for to-morrow 
we shall die. 

14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely 
this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord 
God of hosts. 

15 * IT Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this 
treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 

16 What hast thou here ? and whom hast thou here, that thou 
hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a 
sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a 
rock ? 

17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, 
and will surely cover thee. 

18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a 
large country : there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy 
glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. 

19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall 
he pull thee down. 

20 IT And it shall come to pass in that day 5 that I will call my 
servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah : 

21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with 
thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand : and he 
shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of 
Judah. 

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; 
so he shall open, and none shall shut ; and he shall shut, and none 
shall open. 

23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place ; and he shall be 
for a glorious throne to his father's house. 

24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's 
house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from 
the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 



* B. C. 718. Townsend, 698. He places this at the end of the prophecies of 
Isaiah. He supposes Shebna was put into office by Manasseh and was the prin- 
cipal agent in restoring idolatry, which Hezekiah had put down j and that by this 
reproof he was so enraged as to procure the death of the prophet. 



144 



Isaiah. 



25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fas- 
tened in the sure place be removed and be cut down and fall ; and 
the burden that was upon it shall be cut off : for the Lord hath 
spoken it. 

ISAIAH, XXIII. 

Tite miserable overthrow of Tyre : her return and whoredoms. 

1 The burden of Tyre. Howl ye ships of Tarshish ; for it is laid 
waste, so that there is no house, no entering in : from the land of 
Chittim it is revealed to them. 

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle : thou whom the merchants of 
Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. 

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, 
is her revenue ; and she is a mart of nations. 

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon : for the sea hath spoken, even the 
strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, 
neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. 

5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely 
pained at the report of Tyre. 

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish ; howl ye inhabitants of the isle. 

7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days ? 
her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. 

8 VVho hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city. 
whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of 
the earth ? 

9 The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all 
glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. 

10 Pass through thy land as a river, daughter of Tarshish : 
there is no more strength. 

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms : 
the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to 
destroy the strong holds thereof. 

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, thou oppressed 
virgin, daughter of Zidon : arise, pass over to Chittim ; there also 
shalt thou have no rest. 

IS Behold the land of the Chaldeans ; this people was not, till the 
Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness : they set up 
the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof ; and he brought 
it to ruin. 

14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish : for your strength is laid waste. 

15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten 
seventy years, according to the days of one king : after the end of 
seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. 

16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been 
forgotten ; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be 
remembered. 

1711 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that 
the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall 
commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face 
of the earth. 

IS And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the 
Lord : it shall not be treasured nor laid up ; for her merchandise 



Isaiah. 



145 



shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and 
for durable clothing. 

ISAIAH, XXIV. 

God's judgment upon the land. A remnant shall joyfully praise 

him. 

1 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, 
and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants 
thereof. 

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest ; as with 
the servant, so with his master ; as with the maid, so with her mis- 
tress ; as with the buyer, so with the seller ; as with the lender, so 
with the borrower ; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of 
usury to him. 

3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled : for th8 
Lord hath spoken this word. 

4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away ; the world languisheth 
and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof ; because 
they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the 
everlasting covenant. 

6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that 
dwell therein are desolate : therefore the inhabitants of the earth are 
burned, and few men left. 

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry- 
hearted do sigh. 

8 The mirth of tabrets ceasetb, the noise of them that rejoice 
endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 

9 They shall not drink wine with a song ; strong drink shall be 
bitter to them that drink it. 

10 The city of confusion is broken down : every house is shut up, 
that no man may come in. 

11 There is a crying for wine in the streets : all joy is darkened, 
the mirth of the land is gone. 

12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruc- 
tion. 

13 IT When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the 
people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the 
gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. 

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of 
the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. 

15 Wherefore glorify ye the Lof.d in the fires, even the name of 
the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. 

16 If From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, 
even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, 
woe unto me ! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, 
the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. 

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant 
of the earth. 

18 And it snail come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise 
of the fear shall fall into the pit ; and he that cometh up out of 
the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare : for the windows 

12 * 



146 



Isaiah. 



from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do 
shake. 

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, 
the earth is moved exceedingly. 

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be 
removed like a cottage ; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy 
upon it ; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall 
punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of 
the earth upon the earth. 

22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered 
in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days 
shall they be visited. 

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when 
the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and 
before his ancients gloriously. 

ISAIAH, XXV. 

The prophet praiseth God for his judgments, and for his victorious 
salvation. 

1 Lord, thou art my God ; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy 
name ; for thou hast done wonderful things : thy counsels of old are 
faithfulness and truth. 

2 For thou hast made of a city an heap ; of & defenced city a ruin: 
a palace of strangers to be no city ; it shall never be built. 

3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the 
terrible nations shall fear thee. 

4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the 
needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the 
heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the 
wall. 

5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers as the heat in a dry 
place ; wen the heat with the shadow of a cloud : the branch of 
the terrible ones shall be brought low. 

6 And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all 
people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees : of fat things 
full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 

7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering 
cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 

8 He will swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord God will 
wipe away tears from off all faces ; and the rebuke of his people 
shall he take away from off all the earth : for the Lord hath spoken 
it. 

9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; w T e have 
waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we have 
w T aited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 

10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab 
shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down 
for the dunghill. 

11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he 
that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim : and he shall 
bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 



Isaiah, 



147 



12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring 
down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. 

ISAIAH, XXVI. B. C. 718.* 

Ji song inciting to confidence in God. An exhortation to wait on 

him. 

1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah ; We have 
a strong city : salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. 

2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the 
truth may enter in. 

3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, ivhose mind is stayed on 
thee; because he trusteth in thee. 

4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is 
everlasting strength. 

5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high ; the lofty city 
he layeth it low : he layeth it low, even to the ground ; he bringeth 
it even to the dust. 

6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the 
steps of the needy. 

7 The way of the just is uprightness : thou, most upright, dost 
weigh the path of the just. 

8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, Lord, have we waited 
for thee ; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remem- 
brance of thee. 

9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my 
spirit within me will I seek thee early : for when thy judgments are 
in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

10 Let favor be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn 
righteousness : in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and 
will not behold the majesty of the Lord. 

11 Lord, when thy hand is lifted up they will not see : but they 
shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people ; yea, the fire 
of thine enemies shall devour them. 

12 IT Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us : for thou also hast 
wrought all our works in us. 

13 O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion 
over us ; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 

14 They are dead, they shall not live ; they are deceased, they 
shall not rise : therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and 
made all their memory to perish. 

15 Thou hast increased the nation, Lord, thou hast increased 
the nation : thou art glorified ; thou hadst removed it far unto all the 
ends of the earth. 

16 Lord, in trouble have they visited thee ; they poured out a 
prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 

17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her 
delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs ; so have we been 
in thy sight, Lord. 

18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it 
were brought forth wind ; we have not wrought any deliverance in 
the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 



* Townsend, 714. 



148 



Isaiah. 



19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall 
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust : for thy dew is 
as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy 
doors about thee : hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until 
the indignation be overpast. 

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the 
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity : the earth also shall disclose 
her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. 

ISAIAH, XXVII. 

The care of God over his vineyard : his chastisements differ from 
judgments. The church of Jews and Gentiles. 

1 In that day the Lord, with his sore, and great, and strong sword, 
shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that 
crooked serpent ; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. 

2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. 

3 I the Lord do keep it ; I will water it every moment; lest any 
hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 

4 Fury is not in me : who would set the briers and thorns against 
me in battle ? I would go through them, I would burn them to- 
gether. 

5 Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace 
with me ; and he shall make peace with me. 

6 He shall 'cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel 
shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. 

7 IF Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him ? or is 
he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him ? 

8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it : he 
stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind. 

9 By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged ; and 
this is all the fruit to take away his sin ; when he maketh all the 
stones of the altar as chalk-stones that are beaten in sunder, the 
groves and images shall not stand up. 

10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation 
forsaken, and left like a wilderness : there shall the calf feed, and 
there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. 

11 Vv'hen the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken 
off: the women come and set them on fire ; for it is a people of no 
understanding : therefore he that made them will not have mercy on 
them, and he that formed them will shew them no favor. 

12 IT And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall 
beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and 
ye shall be gathered one by one, ye children of Israel. 

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the s:reat trumpet 
shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in 
the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall 
worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. 

B. C. 714. ISAIAH, XXI. 

11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, 
Watchman, what of the night ? Watchman, what of the night ? 



Isaiah. 



149 



12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night : 
if ye will inquire, inquire ye : return, come. 

13 IT The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye 
lodge, ye travelling companies of Dedanim. 

14 The inhabitants of the land of Tenia brought water to him that 
was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. 

15 For they fled from the swords^from the drawn sword, and from 
the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 

16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according 
to the years- of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail : 

17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of 
the children of Kedar, shall be diminished : for the Lord God of 
Israel hath spoken it. 

IS.AIAHj XX. B. C. 713. 

1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the 
king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it ; 

2 At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah, the son of Amoz, 
saying, Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy 
shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 

3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked 
naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt, 
and upon Ethiopia ; 

4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, 
and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even 
with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 

5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expecta- 
tion, and of Egypt their glory. 

6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such 
is our expectation whither we flee for help to be delivered from the 
king of Assyria : and how shall we escape ? 

ISAIAH, XXI. 

The prophet in vision seeth the fall of Babylon : he giveth warning 
to Edom. The set time of Arabia's calamity. 

1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the 
south pass through ; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. 

2 A grievous vision is declared unto me ; The treacherous dealer 
dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam : 
besiege, Media : all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. 

3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain ; pangs have taken hold 
upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth : I was bowed 
down at the hearing of it ; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. 

4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me : the night of my 
pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me. 

5 Prepare the table, watch in the watch-tower, eat, drink : arise, 
ye princes, and anoint the shield. 

6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let 
jiim declare what he seeth. 

7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of 



150 



Isaiah. Hezekiah. 



asses, and a chariot of camels ; and he hearkened diligently with 
much heed. 

8 And he cried, A lion : My lord, I stand continually upon the 
watch-tower in the day time, and I am set in my ward whole 
nights ; 

9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of 
horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen ; 
and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the 
ground. 

10 O my threshing, and the corn of my 'floor : that which I have 
heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto 
you. 

isaiah, xxxvm. 

1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the 
prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus 
saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. 

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed 
unto the Lord, 

3 And said, Remember now, Lord, I beseech thee, how I have 
walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done 
that which is good in thy sight : and Hezekiah wept sore. 

4 1T Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, 

5 Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David 
thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears : behold, 
I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 

6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king 
of Assyria. : and I will defend this city. 

7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord 
will do this thing that he hath spoken ; 

8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is 
gone down in the sun-dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the 
sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. 

9 IT The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been 
sick, and was recovered of his sickness : 

10 I said, in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of 
the grave : I am deprived of the residue of my years. 

11 I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of 
the living : I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the 
world. 

12 Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's 
tent : I have cut off like a weaver my life ; he will cut me off with 
pining sickness : from day even to night wilt thou make an end of 
me. 

13 I reckoned till morning, that as a lion, so will he break all my 
bones : from day even to night w 7 ilt thou make an end of me. 

14 Like a crane, or a swallow, so did I chatter ; I did mourn as a 
dove : mine eyes fail with looking upwards : Lord, I am oppressed, 
undertake for me. 

15 What shall I say ? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself 
hath done it : I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my 
soul. 



Isaiah. Hezekiah. 



151 



16 Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is 
the life of my spirit : so wilt thou recover me, and make me to 
live. 

17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness ; but thou hast in love 
to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption : for thou hast cast 
all my sins behind thy back. 

18 For the grave cannot praise thee ; death cannot celebrate thee : 
they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 

19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day ; 
the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 

20 The Lord was ready to save me : therefore we will sing my 
songs to the stringed instruments, all the days of our life, in the house 
of the Lord. 

21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it 
for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover. 

22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to 
the house of the Lord ? 

ISAIAH, XXXIX. 

Merodach-baladan, sending to visit Hezekiah, hath notice of his 
treasures. Isaiah foretelleth the Babylonian captivity. 

1 At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan king of 
Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah : for he had heard 
that he had been sick, and was recovered. 

2 And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of 
his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the 
precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was 
found in his treasures : there was nothing in his house, nor in all his 
dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 

3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said 
unto him, What said these men ? and from whence came they unto 
thee ? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto 
me, even from Babylon. 

4 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house ? And 
Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen; there 
is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 

5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of 
hosts ; 

6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that 
which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried 
to Babylon : nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 

7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt - 
beget, shall they take away ; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace 
of the king of Babylon. 

8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord 
which thou hast spoken. He said, moreover, For there shall be peace 
and truth in my days. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXII. 

25 But Hezekiah rendered not again, according to the benefit done 



152 



Isaiah. Hezekiah. Sennacherib. 



unto him ; for his heart was lifted up : therefore there was wrath 
upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 

26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of 
his heart, (both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.) so that the 
wrath of the Lord came not upon thern in the days of Hezekiah. 

27 IT And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor : and 
he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious 
stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant 
jewels ; 

23 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil : 
and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. 

29 Moreover, he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and 
herds in abundance ; for God had given him substance very much. 

30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper water-course of 
Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of 
David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 

2 EING3, XVIII. 

13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, did Senna- 
cherib, king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, 
and took them. 

14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to 
Lachish, saying, I have offended, return from me: that which thou 
puttest on me, I will bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto 
Hezekiah king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty 
talents of gold. 

15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the 
house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. 

16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of 
the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king 
of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXII. 

Sennacherib invadeth Judah. An angel destroyeth the Assyrians. 
Hezekialrs sickness and recovery : he dying, JIanass eh succeed- 
ed him. 

1 After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib 
king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against 
the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. 

2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that 
he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, 

3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men, to stop the 
waters of the fountains which were without the city; and they did 
help him. 

4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all 
the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, 
saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and rind much 
water ? 

5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was 
broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and 



Hezekiah. Isaiah. 



153 



repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in 
abundance. 

6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them 
together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake 
comfortably to them, saying, 

7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the 
king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him : for there 
be more with us than with him. 

8 With him is an arm of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God, 
to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves 
upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 

Isaiah, xvin * B. C. 712.1 

1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the 
rivers of Ethiopia : 

2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bul- 
rushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation 
scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning 
hitherto ; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers 
have spoiled ! 

3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see 
ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains ; and when he 
bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. 

4 For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will 
consider in my dwelling-place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like 
a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 

5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour 
grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with 
pruning-hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. 

6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and 
to the beasts of the earth : and the fowls shall summer upon them, 
and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 

7 H In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of 
hosts of a people scattered and peeled, arid from a people terrible from 
their beginning hitherto ; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, 
whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the 
Lord of hosts, the mount Zion. 

ISAIAH, XXXIII. 

God's judgments against the enemies of the church. The privi- 
leges of the godly. 
1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest 
treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee ! when thou 
shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled ; and when thou shalt make 

* Mr. Scott, after Bishop Lowth, supposes this chapter to be a prediction of the 
overthrow of Egypt. But Mr. Townsend embraces Bishop Horseley's interpreta- 
tion; which supposes this to be a prediction against Antichrist, and of the con- 
version of the Jews. But as this work is not designed as an exposition, it will be 
inconsistent to enter into the arguments for or against any interpretation. I have 
placed it here on the authority of Scott, who had the arguments, for and against, 
before him. 

f Townsend, 721. 

13 



154 



Isaiah. 



an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with 
thee. 

2 Lord, be gracious unto us ; we have waited for thee : he 
thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of 
trouble. 

3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled ; at the lifting up of 
thyself the nations were scattered. 

4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the 
caterpillar : as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon 
them. 

5 The Lord is exalted ; for he dwelleth on high : he hath filled 
Zion with judgment and righteousness. 

6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, 
and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure. 

7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without ; the ambassadors of 
peace shall weep bitterly. 

8 The high- ways lie waste, the way-faring man ceaseth : he hath 
broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no 
man. 

9 The earth mourneth and languisheth ; Lebanon is ashamed and 
hewn down ; Sharon is like a wilderness ; and Bashan and Carmel j 
shake off their fruits. 

10 Now will I rise, saith the Lord ; now will I be exalted ; now 
will I lift up myself. 

11 Ye shall conceive chaff; ye shall bring forth stubble: your 
breath as fire shall devour you. 

12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime ; as thorns cut 
up shall they be burned in the fire. 

13 IT Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done ; and ye that are 
near, acknowledge my might. 

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the 
hypocrites : who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire ? who 
among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? 

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly ; he that 
despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding 
of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth 
his eyes from seeing evil ; 

16 He shall dwell on high : his place of defence shall be the 
munitions of rocks : bread shall be given him, his waters shall be 
sure. 

17 Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty : they shall behold 
the land that is very far off. 

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe ? where 
is the receiver ? where is he that counted the towers ? 

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people ; a people of a deeper speech 
than thou canst perceive ; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst 
not understand. 

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities : thine eyes shall 
see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken 
down ; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither 
shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 

21 But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad 



Hezekiah, Isaiah. 



155 



rivers and streams ; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither 
shall gallant ship pass thereby. 

22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the 
Lord is our king ; he will save us. 

23 Thy tacklings are loosed ; they could not well strengthen their 
mast; they could not spread the sail : then is the prey of a great 
spoil divided ; the lame take the prey. 

24 And the inhabitants shall not say. I am sick : the people that 
dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. 

ISAIAH, XXXVI. 

Sennacherib invadeth Judah. Rabshakeh 9 s blasphemous persua- 
sions to the people : his words are told to Hezekiah. 

1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, 
that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all The defenced 
cities of Judah, and took them. 

2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jeru- 
salem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the 
conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. 

3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was 
over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the 
recorder. 

4 IT And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, 
Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is 
this wherein thou trustest ? 

5 I say, say est thou, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel 
and strength for war : now on whom dost thou trust, that thou 
rebellest against me ? 

6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt ; 
whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it :"so is 
Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. 

7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God : is it not 
he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, 
and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this 
altar ? 

8 Now, therefore, give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king 
of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able 
on thy part to set riders upon them. 

9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the 
least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots 
and for horsemen ? 

10 And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to 
destroy it ? X ne Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and 
destroy it. 

2 ki> t gs, xviii. 26 — 37 ; or isaiah, xxxvi. 11 — 22. 

11 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, 
unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian 
language ; (for we understand it ;) and talk not with us in the Jews*' 
language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall. 

12 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to 



156 



Hezekiah. Isaiah. 



thy master, and to thee, to speak these words ? hath he not sent me 
to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, 
and drink their own piss, with you ? 

13 IT Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the 
Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, 
the king of Assyria : 

14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you ; for he 
shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand : 

15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, 
The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered 
into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

16 Hearken not unto Hezekiah : for thus saith the king of Assyria, 
Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and 
then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig-tree, 
and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern; 

17 Until I come, and take you away to a land like your own land ; 
a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil- 
olive and of honey, that ye may live and not die : and hearken not 
unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will 
deliver us. 

18 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out 
of the hand of the king of Assyria ? 

19 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arphad ? where are the 
gods of Sepharvaim, Henah, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria 
out of mine hand ? 

20 Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have 
delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should 
deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand ? 

21 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: 
for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 

22 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the 
household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the 
recorder, to Hezekiah, with their clothes rent, and told him the words 
of Rabshakeh. 

ISAIAH, XXXVIT. 

Hezekiah, mourning, sendeth to Isaiah to pray for them. Isaiah 
comforteth the king. The angel slayeth the Assyrians. 

1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent 
his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the 
house of the Lord. 

2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna 
the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto 
Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 

3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a 
day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy : for the children 
are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 

4 It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, 
whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living 
God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath 
heard : wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. 

5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 



Hezelciali. Isaiah. 



157 



6 TF And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master. 
Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, 
wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed 
me. 

7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor 5 
and return to his own land ; and I will cause him to fall by the sword 
in his own land. 

8 U So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring 
against Libnah : for he had heard that he was departed from La- 
chish. 

9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is 
come forth to make war with thee. And, when he heard it, he sent 
messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 

10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let 
not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem 
shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to 
all lands by destroying them utterly ; and shalt thou be delivered ? 

12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers 
have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children 
of Eden which were in Telassar ? 

13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the 
king of the city of Sepharvaim, Henah, and Ivah ? 

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the mes- 
sengers, and read it : and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the 
Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 

15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 

16 O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest bettveen the 
cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of 
the earth : thou hast made heaven and earth. 

17 Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear ; open thine eyes, 
Lord, and see : and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath 
sent to reproach the living God. 

18 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the 
nations, and their countries, 

19 And have cast their gods into the fire ; for they ivere no gods, 
but the work of men's hands, wood and stone ; therefore they have 
destroyed them. 

20 Now, therefore, Lord our God, save us from his hand, that 
all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even 
thou only. 

21 TF Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent unto Hezekiah, saying, 
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me 
against Sennacherib king of Assyria : 

22 This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him, 
The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed 
thee to scorn ; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at 
thee. 

23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed ? and against 
whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high ? 
even against the Holy One of Israel. 

24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, 
By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the 

13 * 



158 



Hezekidh. Isaiahs 



mountains, to the sides of Lebanon ; and I will cut down the tall 
cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof: and I will enter 
into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel. 

25 I have digged, and drunk water ; and with the sole of my feet 
have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places. 

26 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it ; and of 
ancient times that I have formed it ? now have I brought it to pass, 
that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous 
heaps. 

27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were 
dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and 
as the green herb ; as the grass on the house-tops, and as corn 
blasted before it be grown up. 

28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, 
and thy rage against me. 

29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into 
mine ears ; therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle 
in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou 
earnest. 

30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such 
as groweth of itself; and the second, year that which springeth of 
the same ; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vine- 
yards, and eat the fruit thereof. 

31 And the remnant, that is escaped of the house of Judah shall 
again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 

32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that 
escape out of mount Zion : the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do 
this. 

33 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, 
He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come 
before it with shields., nor cast a bank against it. 

34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and 
shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. 

B. C. 710. 2 kings, xix. 34 — 37; or isaiah, xxxvit. 35 — 38. 

35 For I will defend this city, to save it for mine own sake, and 
for my servant David's sake. 

36 IT Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the 
camp of the Assyrians an hundred and fourscore and five thousand : 
and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all 
dead corpses. 

37 IT So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and 
returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 

38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of 
Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him 
with the sword ; and they escaped into the land of Armenia : and 
Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead. 

B. C. 710.* ISAIAH, XIX. 

1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift 



* Townsend, 721. 



IsaiaTi. 



159 



cloud, and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be 
moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst 
of it. 

2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians : and they 
shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his 
neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof ; and I will 
destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to 
the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the 
wizards. 

4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord ; 
and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of 
hosts. 

5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be 
wasted and dried up. 

6 And they shall turn the rivers far away, and the brooks of 
defence shall be emptied and dried up : the reeds and flags shall 
wither. 

7 The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and 
every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and 
be no more. 

8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into 
the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters 
shall languish. 

9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave net 
works, shall be confounded. 

10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make 
sluices and ponds for fish. 

11 II Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the 
wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish : how say ye unto 
Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings ? 

12 Where are they ? where are thy wise men ? and let them tell 
thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed 
upon Egypt. 

13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are 
deceived ; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay 
of the tribes thereof. 

14 The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: 
and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a 
drunken man staggereth in his vomit. 

15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or 
tail, branch or rush, may do. 

16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women : and it shall be 
afraid and fear, because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of 
hosts, which he shaketh over it. 

17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt ; every one 
that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself; because of 
the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against 
it. 

18 IT In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the 
language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts : one shall be 
called, The city of destruction. 



160 



Isaiah. 3Iicah. 



19 In that day shall the-re be an altar to the Lord in the midst of 
the land of Egypt,, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. 

20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of 
hosts in the land of Egypt : for they shall cry unto the Lord because 
of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, 
and he shall deliver them. 

21 And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians 
shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and obla- 
tion ; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it. 

22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt; he shall smite and heal it-: 
and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be entreated of 
them, and shall heal them. 

23 "7 In that day shall there be an highway out of Egypt to 
Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian 
into Assyria ; and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. 

24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with 
Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land ; 

25 Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt 
my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine 
inheritance. 

MICAH, VI. 

GooVs controversy for unkindness.for ignorance, for injustice, and 
for idolatry, 

1 Hear ye now what the Lord saith ; Arise, contend thou before 
the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 

2 Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong 
foundations of the earth : for the Lord hath a controversy with 
his people, and he will plead with Israel. 

3 O my people, what have I done unto thee ? and wherein have 
I wearied thee ? testify against me. 

4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed 
thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, 
Aaron, and Miriam. 

5 my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab con- 
sulted, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him from 
Shittim unto Gilgal ; that ye may know the righteousness of the 
Lord. 

6 II Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself 
before the high God ? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, 
with calves of a year old ? 

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten 
thousands of rivers of oil ? shall I give my first-born for my trans- 
gression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? 

8 He hath shewed thee, man, what is good ; and what doth the 
Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to 
walk humbly with thy God ? 

9 The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom 
shall see thy name : fear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 

10 U Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the 
wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable ? 



Micah. NaJium. 



161 



11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with 
the bag of deceitful weights ? 

12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabit- 
ants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their 
mouth. 

13 Therefore also will I make thee_ sick in smiting thee, in making 
thee desolate because of thy sins. 

14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied ; and thy casting down shall 
be in the midst of thee ; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not 
deliver ; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. 

15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap ; thou shalt tread the 
olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil ; and sweet wine, but 
shalt not drink wine. 

16 IT For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the 
house of Ahabj and ye walk in their counsels ; that I should make thee 
a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing : therefore ye shall 
bear the reproach of my people. 

NAHUM, I. B. C. 710* 

The majesty of God in goodness to his people and severity against 
his enemies. 

1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the 
Elkoshite. 

2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth ; the Lord revengeth, 
and is furious ; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and 
he reserveth ivrath for his enemies. 

3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at 
all acquit the wicked : the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and 
in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 

4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the 
rivers : Bashan languisheth, and Carmel^and the flower of Lebanon 
languisheth. 

5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth 
is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell 
therein. 

6 Who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide in the 
fierceness of his anger ? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks 
are thrown down by him. 

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble ; and he 
knoweth them that trust in him, 

8 But with an over-running flood he will make an utter end of the 
place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. 

9 What do ye imagine against the Lord ? he will make an utter 
end : affliction shall not rise up the second time. 

10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are 
drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. 

11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the 
Lord, a wicked counsellor. 



* This prophecy has no chronologv given. Some have dated it, B. C. 713. 
Scott, B. C. 710: whilst Jahn dates it* B. C. 692. As Scott is the medium of the 
extremes, I have placed it according to his date. Townsend, B. C. 720. 



162 



Nahum. 



12 Thus saith the Lord ; Though they be quiet, and likewise 
many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. 
Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. 

13 For no w will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy 
bonds in sunder. 

14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, 
that no more of thy name be sown : out of the house of thy gods will 
I cut off the graven image and the molten image : 1 will make thy 
grave ; for thou art vile. 

15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good 
tidings, that publisheth peace ! Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, 
perform thy vows : for the wicked shall no more pass through thee ; 
he is utterly cut off. 

NAHUM, II. 

1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face : keep the 
munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power 
mightily. 

2 For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the 
excellency of Israel : for the emptiers have emptied them out, and 
marred their vine branches. 

3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are 
in scarlet : the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of 
his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. 

4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against 
another in the broad ways : they shall seem like torches, they shall 
run like the lightnings. 

5 He shall recount his worthies : they shall stumble in their walk ; 
they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be 
prepared. 

6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be 
dissolved. 

7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, 
and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon 
their breasts. 

8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water : yet they shall flee 
away. Stand, stand, shall they cry ; but none shall look back. 

9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold : for there is 
none end of the store, and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. 

10 She is empty, and void, and waste : and the heart melteth, and 
the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces 
of them all gather blackness. 

11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding-place of 
the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the 
lion's whelp, and none made them afraid ? 

12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled 
for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with 
ravin. 

13 Behold, I am. against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will 
burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young 
lions ; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of 
thy messengers shall no more be heard. 



Nahum. 



163 



NAHUM, III. 

The miserable ruin of Nineveh : no power able to resist God : 
their sudden destruction : their malice and rvickedness. 

1 Woe to the bloody city ! it is all full of lies and robbery ; the 
prey departeth not ; 

2 The noise of a whip* and the noise of the rattling of the 
wheels, and of the prancing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 

3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering 
spear : and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of car- 
casses ; and there is none end of their corpses ; they stumble upon 
their corpses : 

4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored 
harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her 
whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 

5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts ; and I will 
discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy 
nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 

6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile f 
and will set thee as a gazing stock. 

7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall 
flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste : who will bemoan 
her ? whence shall I seek comforters for thee ? 

8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the 
rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the 
sea, and her wall was from the sea ? 

9 Ethiopia and Egypt ivere her strength, and it was infinite ; Put 
and Lubim were thy helpers. 

10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity : her young 
children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets ; and 
they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were 
bound in chains. 

11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt 
seek strength because of the enemy. 

12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig-trees with the first ripe 
figs : if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the 
eater. 

13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women : the gates 
of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies : the fire shall 
devour thy bars. 

14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go 
into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln. 

15 There shall the fire devour thee : the sword shall cut thee off; 
it shall eat thee up like the canker-worm : make thyself many as the 
canker-worm, make thyself many as the locusts. 

16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: 
the canker-worm spoileth and flieth away. 

17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great 
grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day \ but when 
the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where 
they are. 

18 Thy shepherds slumber, king of Assyria ; thy nobles shall 



164 



Nahum. Isaiah. 



dwell in the dust : thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and 
no man gathereth them. 

19 There is no healing of thy bruise ; thy wound is grievous : all 
that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee : for upon 
whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually ? 

B. C. 708. ISAIAH, XL.* 

The promulgation of the gospel. The preaching of John the Bap- 
tist. The preaching of the apostles. 

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her 
warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned : for she hath 
received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 

3 IT The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the 
way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a hio;h-way for our 
God. 

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall 
be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
places plain : 

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall 
see it together : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it* 

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry ? All flesh 
is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the 
field : 

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : because the Spirit of 
the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but the word of our 
God shall stand for ever. 

- 9^0 Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high 
mountain ; Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice 
with strength : lift it up, be not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, 
Behold your God ! 

10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm 
shall rule for him : behold, his reward is with him, and his work 
before him. 

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the 
Iambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently 
lead those that are with young. 

12 IT Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, 
and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of 



* Of the following chapter of Isaiah. Home has given an index by dividing it 
into 12 discourses. 1. A promise of comfort to the captive Jews. 2. The coming 
of Christ, and the character and blessings of his kingdom. 3. Promises of redemp- 
tion, and of the Holy Spirit. 4. The captivity of the idols of Babylon, and the folly 
of worshipping them. 5. A reproof of the idolatry of the Jews, and a prediction 
of their deliverance. 6. Presents Christ in person, declaring his commission. 
7. Foretells the rejection of the Jews for their rejection of Christ. 8. Predicts the 
person, office, and sufferings of Christ and the result. 9. Foretells the calling 
and conversion of the Gentiles. 10. Proclaims the fullness and freeness and glory 
of the gospel. 11. Predicts the calamities that would come upon the Jews for their 
hypocrisy and unbelief. 12. Predicts the future conversion of the Jews with the 
fullness of the Gentiles. 



Isaiah. 



165 



the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the 
hills in a halance ? 

13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his coun- 
sellor, hath taught him ? 

14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and 
taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and 
shewed to him the way of understanding ? 

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted 
as the small dust of the balance : behold, he taketh up the isles as a 
very little thing, 

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof 
sufficient for a burnt-offering. 

17 All nations before him are as nothing ; and they are counted to 
him less than nothing, and vanity. 

18 *\\ To whom then will ye liken God ? or what likeness will ye 
compare unto him ? 

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith 
spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a 
tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to 
prepare a graven image that shall not be moved. 

21 Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not been told 
you from the beginning ? have ye not understood from the foundations 
of the earth? 

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhab- 
itants thereof are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the heavens as 
a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in : 

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing ; he maketh the judges of 
the earth as vanity. 

24 Yea, they shall not be planted ; yea> they shall not be sown : 
yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth : and he shall also 
blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take 
them away as stubble.' 

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal ? saith the 
Holy One. 

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created 
these things, that bringeth out their hosts by number : he calleth 
them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong 
in power ; not one faileth. 

27 Why sayest thou, Jacob, and speakest, Israel, My way is 
hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my 
God ? 

28 ft Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard, that the ever- 
lasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth 
not, neither is weary ? there is no searching of his understanding. 

29 He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that have no might 
he increaseth strength. 

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men 
shall utterly fall : 

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; 
they shall mount up with wings as eagles : they shall run and not be 
weary ; and they shall walk and not faint. 

14 



166 



Isaiah. 



B. C. 708 *■ ISAIAH, XLI. 

God expostulated icith his people about his mercies to the church, 
about his promises, and about the vanity of idols. 

1 Keep silence before me, O islands ; and let the people renew 
their strength : let them come near ; then let them speak : let us come 
near together to judgment. 

2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him 
to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over 
kings ? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble 
to his bow. 

3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he 
had not gone with his feet. 

4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from 
the beginning ? I the Lord, the first, and with the last ; I am he. 

5 The isles saw it, and feared ; the ends of the earth were afraid, 
drew near and came. 

6 They helped every one his neighbor ; and every one said to his 
brother, Be of good courage. 

7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that 
smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is 
ready for the sodering : and he fastened it with nails, that it should 
not be moved. 

8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, 
the seed of Abraham my friend. 

9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and 
called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou 
art my servant ; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. 

10 Tf Fear thou not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I 
am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I 
will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be 
ashamed and confounded : they shall be as nothing ; and they that 
strive with thee shall perish. 

12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that 
contended with thee : they that war against thee shall be as nothing, 
and as a thing of nought. 

13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto 
thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel ; I will help 
thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 

15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument 
having teeth : thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, 
and shalt make the hills as chaff. 

16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and 
the whirlwind shall scatter them : and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, 
and shalt glory in "the Holy One of Israel. 

17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and 
their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, /the God 
of Israel will not forsake them. 

18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of 



* Townsend, 710 to 699. From the fortieth chapter to the end of the sixty-sixth. 



Isaiah. 



167 



the valleys : I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry 
land springs of water. 

19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and 
the myrtle, and the oil tree : I will set in the desert the fir tree, and 
the pine, and the box tree together ; 

20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand 
together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy 
One of Israel hath created it. 

21 IT Produce your cause, saith the Lord, bring forth your strong 
reasons, saith the king of Jacob. 

22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen i 
let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider 
them, and know the latter end of them ; or declare us things for to 
come. 

23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know 
that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed 
and behold it together. 

24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought : an abom- 
ination is he that chooseth you. 

25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come : from 
the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name ; and he shall 
come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay. 

26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know ? 
and before time, that we may say,~ He is righteous ? yea, there is 
none that sheweth ; yea, there is none that declareth; yea, there is 
none that heareth your words. 

27 The first shall say -to Zion, Behold, behold them : and I will 
give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. 

28 For I beheld, and there was no man* even among them, and 
there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer 
a word. 

29 Behold, they are all vanity ; their works are nothing : their 
molten images are wind and confusion. 

ISAIAH, XLII. 

The office of Christ : God's promise to him. An exhortation- to 
praise God. 

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my 
soul delighteth : I have put my Spirit upon him ; he shall bring forth 
judgment to the Gentiles. 

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in 
the street. 

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he 
not quench : he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 

4 He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment 
in the earth : and the isles shall wait for his law. 

5 1T Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and 
stretched them out ; he that spread forth the earth, and that which 
cometh out of it ; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and 
spirit to them that walk therein ; 

6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold 



168 



Isaiah. 



thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the 
people, for a light of the Gentiles; 

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the 
prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. 

8 I am the Lour ; that is my name : and my glory will I not 
give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 

9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do 
I declare : before they spring forth I tell you of them. 

10 IT Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end 
of the earth ; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein ; ' the 
isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 

11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the 
villages that Kedar doth inhabit : let the inhabitants of the rock sing, 
let them shout from the top of the mountains. 

12 Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in 
the islands. 

13 The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up 
jealousy like a man of war : he shall cry ; yea, roar ; he shall prevail 
against his enemies. 

14 I have long time holden my peace ; I have been still, and 
refrained myself : now will I cry like a travailing woman ; I will 
destroy and devour at once. 

15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their 
herbs ; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the 
pools. 

16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; 1 
will lead them in paths that they have not known : I will make dark- 
ness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things 
will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 

17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that 
trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our 
gods. 

18 IT Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. 

19 Who is blind, but my servant ? or deaf, as my messenger that 
I sent ? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's 
servant ? 

20 Seeing many things, but thou observestnot ; opening the ears, 
but he heareth not. 

21 The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness 5 sake ; he will 
magnify the law, and make it honorable. 

22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled ; they are all of them 
snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses : they are for a 
prey, and none delivereth ; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. 

23 Who among you will give ear to this ? ivho will hearken, and 
hear for the time to come ? 

24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers ? did not 
the Lord, he against whom we have sinned ? for they would not 
walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. 

25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, 
and the strength of battles and it hath set him on fire round 
about, yet he knew not ; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to 
heart. 



Isaiah. 



169 



ISAIAH, XLIII. 

The Lord comforteth the church with his promises : he foretelleth 
Babylon's destruction, and his people's deliverance. 

1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, Jacob, and he 
that formed thee. O Israel. Fear not : for I have redeemed thee, I 
have called thee by thy name ; thou art mine. 

2 When thou passest through the waters. I icill be with thee ; and 
through the rivers, they shall Dot overflow thee : when thou walkest 
through the fire thou shalt not be burnt ; neither shall the flame 
kindle upon thee. 

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: 
I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honorable, 
and I have loved thee : therefore will I give men for thee, and people 
for thy life. 

5 Fear not : for I am with thee : I will bring thy seed from the 
east, and gather thee from the west : 

6 I will say to the north, Give up ; and to the south, Keep not 
back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the 
earth : 

7 Even every one that is called by my name : for I have created 
him for my glory, I have formed him ; yea, I have made him. 

8 IF Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that 
have ears. 

9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be 
assembled : who among them can declare this, and shew us former 
things I let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be 
justified : or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I 
have chosen : that ye may know and believe me, and understand 
that I am he : before me there was no God formed, neither shall 
there be after me. 

11 I. even I. am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour. 

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when 
there was no strange god among you : therefore ye are my witnesses., 
saith the Lord, that I am God. 

13 Yea, before the day was, I am he : and there is none that can 
deliver out of my hand : I will work, and who shall let it ? 

14 IT Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of 
Israel ; for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down 
all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. 

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your 
King. 

16 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a 
path in the mighty waters; 

17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army, and the 
power : they shall lie down together, they shall not rise : they are 
extinct, they are quenched as tow. 

IS Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the 
things of old. 

19 Behold. I will do a new thing : now it shall spring forth ; shall 
14 * 



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Isaiah, 



ye not know it ? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers 
In the desert. 

20 The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the 
owls : because I give waters in the wilderness, 'and rivers in the 
desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. 

21 This people have I formed for myself ; they shall shew forth my 
praise. 

22 IT But thou hast not called upon me, Jacob ; but thou hast 
been weary of me, Israel. 

23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt- 
offerings, neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have 
not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied, thee with 
incense. 

24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast 
thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices ; but thou hast made me 
to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. 

25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine 
own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 

26 Put me in remembrance : let us plead together : declare thou, 
that thou mayest be justified. 

27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed 
against me. 

28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and 
have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches. 

ISAIAH, XXIV. 

God's church comforted. The vanity of idols, and folly of idol 
makers. 

1 Yet now hear, Jacob my servant ; and Israel, whom I have 
chosen : 

2 Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the 
womb, which will help thee ; Fear not, Jacob my servant : and 
thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. 

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon 
the dry ground : I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my bles- 
sing upon thine offspring : 

4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the 
water courses. 

5 One shall say, I am the Lord's : and another shall call him- 
self by the name of Jacob ; and another" shall subscribe with his 
hand unto the Lord, and surname himself 'by the name of Israel. 

6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the 
Lord of hosts ; I am the first, and I am the last ; and beside me 
there is no God. 

7 H And who. as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in 
order for me, since I appointed the ancient people ? and the things 
that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 

8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that 
time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a 
god beside me ? yea, there is no god ; I know not any. 

9 IT They that make a graven image are all of them vanity ; and 



Isaiah. 



171 



their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own 
witnesses ; they see not, nor know ; that they may be ashamed. 

10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is 
profitable for nothing ? 

11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed : and the workmen, 
they are of men ; let them all he gathered together, let them stand 
up ; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. 

12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in trie coals, and 
fashioneth it with hammers : and worketh it with the strength of his 
arms : yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth ; he drinketh no 
water, and is faint. 

13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule ; he marketh it out with 
a line ; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the 
compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the 
beauty of a man ; that it may remain in the house. 

14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the 
oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the 
forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. 

15 Then shall it be for a man to burn : for he will take thereof 
and warm himself ; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread ; yea, he 
maketh a god, and worshippeth it ; he maketh it a graven image, 
and faileth down thereto. 

16 He burneth part thereof in the fire : with part thereof he 
eateth flesh ; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied : yea, he warmeth 
himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire : 

17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven 
image : he faileth down unto it, and worshippeth if,, and prayeth unto 
it, and saith, Deliver me ; for thou art my god. 

18 They have not known nor understood : for he hath shut their 
eyes, that they cannot see ; and their hearts, that they cannot under- 
stand, 

19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge 
nor understanding to say. I have burned part of it in the fire ; yea, 
also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, 
and eaten it ; and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination ? 
shall I fall down to the stock of a tree ? 

20 He feedeth on ashes : a deceived heart hath turned him aside, 
that he cannot deliver his soulj nor say, Is there not a lie in my 
right hand ? 

21 r Remember these, Jacob and Israel ; for thou art my 
servant: I have formed thee ; fbtoa art my servant: Israel, thou 
shalt not be forgotten of me. 

22 I have blotted out, as a thick cioud, thy transgressions, and, as 
a cloud, thy sins ; return unto me ; for I have redeemed thee. 

23 Sing, ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye 
lower parts of the earth : break forth into singing, ye mountains, O 
forest, and every tree therein : for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, 
and glorified himself in Israel. 

24 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee 
from the womb, I am the Lord thatmaketh all things; that stretcheth 
forth the heavens alone ; that spreadeth abroad the eareh by my- 
self; 

25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners 



172 



Isaiah, 



mad : that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge 
foolish ; 

26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the 
counsel of his messengers ; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be 
inhabited : and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will 
raise up the decayed places thereof : 

27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers : 

28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all 
my pleasure ; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built ; and to 
the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. 

ISAIAH, XLV. 

God calleth Cyrus for his church's sake: he challengeth obedience: 
he convinceth the idols of vanity. 

1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand 
I have holden, to subdue nations before him ; and I will loose the 
loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates 
shall not be shut ; 

2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight : I 
will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of 
iron: 

3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches 
of secret places, that thou may est know that I, the Lord, which call 
thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 

4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even 
called thee by thy name : I have surnamed thee, though thou hast 
not known me. 

5 II I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no god beside 
me ; I girded thee, though thou hast not known me : 

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the 
west, that there is none beside me : I am the Lord, and there is 
none else. 

7 I form the light, and create darkness : I make peace, and create 
evil : I the Lord do all these things. 

8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour 
down righteousness : let the earth open, and let them bring forth 
salvation, and let righteousness spring up together : I the Lord have 
created it. 

9 Woe unto him that strive th with his Maker ! Let the potsherd 
strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that 
fashioneth it, What makest thou ? or thy work, He hath no hands ? 

10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou ? 
or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth ? 

11 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, 
Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the 
work of my hands command ye me. 

12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it : I, even my 
hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I 
commanded. 

13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his 
ways : he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not 
for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. 



Isaiah. 



173 



14 Thus saith the Lord, the labor of Egypt, and merchandise of 
Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto 
thee, and they shall be thine : they shall come after thee ; in chains 
they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall 
make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee ; and 
there is none else, there is no god. 

15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, God of Israel, the 
Saviour. 

16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them : they 
shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. 

17 But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting 
salvation : ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without 
end. 

18 For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself 
that formed the earth and made it ; he hath established it, he created 
it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited : I am the Lord ; and 
there is none else. 

19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth : I 
said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain : I the Lord 
speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 

20 *7 Assemble yourselves and come ; draw near together, ye that 
are escaped of the nations : they have no knowledge that set up the 
wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 

21 Tell ye, and bring them near ; yea, let them take counsel 
together : who hath declared this from ancient time ? ivho hath told 
it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no god else 
beside me : a just God and a Saviour : there is none beside me. 

22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth : for 
I am God, and there is none else. 

23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in 
righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall 
bow, every tongue shall swear. 

24 Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and 
strength : even to him shall men come ; and all that are incensed 
against him shall be ashamed. 

25 In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall 
glory. 

ISAIAH, XLVI. 

The idols of Babylon could not save themselves. God saveth his 
people to the end. Idols are not comparable to God. 

1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the 
beasts, and upon the cattle : your carriages were heavy loaden ; they 
are a burden to the weary beast. 

2 They stoop, they bow down together ; they could not deliver 
the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. 

3 IF Hearken unto me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of 
the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which 
are carried from the womb : 

4 And even to your old age I am he ; and even to hoar hairs will 
I carry you: I have made, "and I will bear ; even I will carry, and 
will deliver you. 



174 



Isaiah. 



5 H To whom will ye liken me. and make me equal, and compare 
me, that we may be like ? 

6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, 
and hire a goldsmith ; and he maketh it a god : the}- fall down, yea, 
they worship. 

7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him 
in his place, and he standeth ; from his place shall he not remove : 
yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out 
of his trouble. 

8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men ; bring it again to 
mind, O ye transgressors. 

9 Remember the former things of old : for I am God, and there is 
none else ; I am God, and there is none like me ; 

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times 
the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and 
I will do all my pleasure : 

11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth 
my counsel from a far country : yea, I have spoken it } I will also 
bring it to pass ; I have purposed it. I will also do it. 

12 IT Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from right- 
eousness : 

13 I bring near my righteousness ; it shall not be far off, and my 
salvation shall not tarry : and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel 
my glory. 

ISAIAH. XLVII. 

God's judgments upon Babylon and Chaldea, for their unmerci- 
fulness, pride , and over-boldness. 

1 Come down, and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon ; 
sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans : 
for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. 

2 Take the millstones, and grind meal : uncover thy locks, make 
bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 

3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be 
seen : I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. 

4 As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy 
One of Israel. 

5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the 
Chaldeans : for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms. 

6 H I was wroth with my people: I have polluted mine inheritance, 
and given them into thine hand : thou didst shew them no mercy ; 
upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. 

7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever : so that thou didst not 
lav these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end 
of it. 

8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that 
dwellest carelessly ; that sayest in thine heart, I am. and none else 
besides me ; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss 
of children : 

9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one 
day, the loss of children, and widowhood : they shall come upon thee 



Isaiah. 



175 



in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the 
great abundance of thine inchantments. 

10 IT For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness : thou hast said, 
None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted 
thee ; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else besides 
me. 

11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee ; thou shalt not know from 
whence it riseth : and mischief shall fall upon thee ; thou shalt not 
be able to put it off : and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, 
which thou shalt not know. 

12 Stand now with thine inchantments, and with the multitude of 
thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth ; if so be 
thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. 

13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now 
the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticated, stand up 
and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. 

14 Behold, they shall be as stubble ; the fire shall burn them ; 
they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame : there 
shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. 

15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast labored, 
even thy merchants, from thy youth : they shall wander every one 
to his quarter ; none shall save thee. 

ISAIAH, XLVIII. 

God, to convince the people of their obstinacy, revealeth his prophe- 
cies : he exhorteth them to obedience. 

1 Hear ye this, house of Jacob, which are called by the name 
of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah ; which 
swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of 
Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. 

2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves 
upon the God of Israel ; The Lord of hosts is his name. 

3 I have declared the former things from the beginning ; and they 
went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them : I did them sud- 
denly, and they came to pass. 

4 Because 1 knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron 
sinew, and thy brow brass ; 

5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee ; before it 
came to pass I shewed it thee : lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol 
hath done them ; and my graven image, and my molten image, hath 
commanded them. 

6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have 
shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou 
didst not know them. 

7 They are created now, and not from the beginning ; even before 
the day when thou heardest them not ; lest thou shouldest say, 
Behold, I know them. 

8 Yea, thou heardest not ; yea, thou knewest not ; yea, from that 
time that thine ear was not opened : for I knew that thou wouldest 
deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the 
womb. 



176 



Isaiah. 



9 IT For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise 
will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver ; I have chosen 
thee in the furnace of affliction. 

11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for 
how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto 
another. 

12 ft Hearken unto me, Jacob and Israel, my called ; I am he : 
I am the first, I also am the last. 

13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my 
right hand hath spanned the heavens : when I call unto them, they 
stand up together. 

14 All ye assemble yourselves, and hear ; which among them hath 
declared these things ? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his 
pleasure in Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. 

15 I, even I, have spoken ; yea, I have called him : I have brought 
him, and he shall make his way prosperous. 

16 11 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this : I have not spoken in 
secret from the beginning ; from the time that it was, there am I : 
and now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me. 

17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel ; 
I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth 
thee by the way that thou shouldest go. 

18 that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments ! then had 
thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea : 

19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy 
bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut 
off nor destroyed from before me. 

20 IT Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a 
voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the 
earth ; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. 

21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts : 
he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them ; he clave the 
rock also, and the waters gushed out. 

22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked, 

B. C. 706. isaiah, xlix. 

Christ being sent to the Jews, complaineth of them: he is sent to 
the Gentiles. Goal's love to the church. 

1 Listen, isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye people, from far ; 
The Lord hath called me from the womb ; from the bowels of my 
mother hath he made mention of my name. 

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword ; in the shadow 
of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft \ in his 
quiver hath he hid me ; 

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I 
will be glorified. 

4 Then I said, I have labored in vain* I have spent my strength 
for nought, and in vain ; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, 
and my work with my God. 

5 IT And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to 
be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not 



Isaiah. 



177 



gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my 
God shall be my strength. 

6 And he said, It is alight thing that thou shouldest be my servant, 
to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; 
I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be 
my salvation unto the end of the earth. 

7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy 
One, To him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhor- 
reth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes also 
shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy 
One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 

8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, 
and in a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I will preserve 
thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, 
to cause to inherit the desolate heritages ; 

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth ; to them that 
are in darkness, Shew yourselves : they shall feed in the ways, and 
their pastures shall be in all high places. 

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst ; neither shall the heat nor 
sun smite them : for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, 
even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways 
shall be exalted. 

12 Behold, these shall come from far ; and, lo, these from the north 
and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 

13 H Sing, O heavens ; and be joyful^ earth ; and break forth 
into singing, O mountains : for the Lord hath comforted his people, 
and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 

14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord 
hath forgotten me. 

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have 
compassion on the son of her womb ? yea, they may forget, yet will 
I not forget thee. 

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; thy 
walls are continually before me. 

17 Thy children shall make haste ; thy destroyers and they that 
made thee waste, shall go forth of thee. 

18 IT Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold : all these gather 
themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, 
thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and 
bind thein on thee, as a bride doeth. 

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places^ and the land of thy 
destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabi- 
tants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the 
other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me : 
give place to me that I may dwell. 

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me 
these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and 
removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these ? Behold, I was 
left alone ; these, where had they been? 

22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to 
the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people ; and they shall 

15 



178 



Isaiah, 



bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon 
their shoulders. 

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy 
nursing mothers : they shall bow down to thee with their face toward 
the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet ; and thou shalt know that 
I am the Lord : for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. 

24 IF Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive 
delivered ? 

25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty 
shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered : 
for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save 
thy children. 

26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; 
and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine : 
and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy 
Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. 

ISAIAH, I. 

Christ sheweth the cause of the Jeivs dereliction. An exhortation 
to trust in God, and not in human resources. 

1 Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's 
divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it 
to w T hom I have sold you ? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold 
yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. 

2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man ? when I called, 
was there none to answer ? Is my hand shortened at all, that it 
cannot redeem ? or have I no power to deliver ? behold, at my 
rebuke I dry up the sea ; I make the rivers a wilderness : their fish 
stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. 

3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their 
covering. 

4 IT The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that 
I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary : 
he wakeneth morning by morning ; he wakeneth mine ear to hear as 
the learned. 

5 IF The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, 
neither turned away back. 

6 I gave my back to the smite rs, and my cheeks to them that 
plucked off the hair : I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 

7 TF For the Lord God will help me ; therefore shall I not be con- 
founded : therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I 
shall not be ashamed. 

8 He is near that justifieth me ; who will contend with me ? let 
us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to 
me. 

9 Behold, the Lord God will help me ; who is he that shall 
condemn me ? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment ; the moth 
shall eat them up. 

10 IF Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the 
voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? 
let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. 

11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about 



Isaiah. 



179 



with sparks ; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye 
have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in 
sorrow. 

ISAIAH, LI. 

The righteous exhorted, after the pattern of Abraham, to trust in 
Christ : the certainty of his salvation. The prophet bewaileth 
the afflictions of Jerusalem, 8fc. 

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek 
the Lord : look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole 
of the pit whence ye are digged. 

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you : 
for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. 

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion : he will comfort all her waste 
places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert 
like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein,, 
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 

4 IT Hearken unto me, my people ; and give ear unto me, O my 
nation : for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judg- 
ment to rest for a light of the people. 

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine 
arms shall judge the people : the isles shall wait upon me, and on 
mine arm shall they trust. 

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth 
beneath ; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the 
earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall 
die in like manner : but my salvation shall be for ever, and my 
righteousness shall not be abolished. 

7 IT Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in 
whose heart is my law ; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be 
ye afraid of their revilings. 

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm 
shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever, and 
my salvation from generation to generation. 

9 IT Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the Lord ; awake, 
as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that 
hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon ? 

10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great 
deep : that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed 
to pass over ? 

11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come 
with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head : 
they shall obtain gladness and joy ; and sorrow and mourning shall 
flee away. 

12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you : who art thou, that thou 
shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man 
which shall be made as grass ; 

13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth 
the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth : and hast feared 
continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he 
were ready to destroy ? and where is the fury of the oppressor ? 



180 



Isaiah. 



14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he 
should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. 

15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves 
roared : The Lord of hosts is his name. 

16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered 
thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and 
lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my 
people. 

17 If Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at 
the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury ; thou hast drunken the 
dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. 

18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath 
brought forth ; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of 
all the sons that she hath brought up. 

19 These two things are come unto thee ; who shall be sorry for 
thee ? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword : 
by whom shall I comfort thee ? 

20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets as 
a wild bull in a net ; they are full of the fury of the Lord, the 
rebuke of thy God, 

21 U Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not 
with wine : 

22 Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the 
cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup 
of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury : thou shalt no 
more drink it again 

23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee ; which 
have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over : and thou 
hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went 
over. 

ISAIAH, LII. 

Christ persuadeth the church to believe his free redemption, to 
receive the ministers, to joy in the power thereof. 

1 Awake, awake ; put on thy strength, O Zion ; put on thy beautiful 
garments, G Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no 
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 

2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: 
loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, captive daughter of 
Zion. 

3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought ; 
and ye shall be redeemed without money. 

4 For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into 
Egypt to sojourn there ; and the Assyrian oppressed them without 
cause. 

5 Now, therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my 
people is taken away for nought ? They that rule over them make 
them to howl, saith the Lord ; and my name continually every day 
is blasphemed. 

6 Therefore my people shall know my name : therefore they shall 
know in that day that I am he that doth speak ; behold, it is I. 

7 IT How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that 



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181 



bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good 
tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that saith unto Zion, Thy 
God reigneth ! 

8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together 
shall they sing : for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shatf 
bring again Zion. 

9 11 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jeru- 
salem : for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed 
Jerusalem. 

10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the 
nations ; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our 
God. 

11 IT Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean 
thing ; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the 
vessels of the Lord. 

12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight : for the 
Lord will go before you ; and the God of Israel will be your rere- 
ward. 

13 IT Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted 
and extolled, and be very high. 

14 As many were astonished at thee ; (his visage was so marred 
more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men ;) 

15 So shall he sprinkle many nations ; the kings shall shut their 
mouths at him : for that which had not been told them shall they see k 
and thai which they had not heard shall they consider, 

ISAIAH, JAIU 

The prophet excuseth the scandal of the cross, by the benefit of 
Christ's passion. 

1 Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the 
Lord revealed ? 

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root 
out of a dry ground : he hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we 
shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

3 He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and 
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him ; he 
was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

4 IT Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we 
did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for 
our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him : and 
with his stripes we are healed. 

6 All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one 
to his own wav ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us 
all. 

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his 
mouth : he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep 
before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

8 He w T as taken from prison and from judgment : and who shall 
declare his generation ? for he was cut off out of the land of the ; 
living : for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 

15 * 



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Isaiah, 



9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in 
his death ; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit 
in his mouth. 

10 TT Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to 
grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see 
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord 
shall prosper in his hand. 

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied ; 
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many ; for he 
shall bear their iniquities. 

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he 
shall divide the spoil with the strong ; because he hath poured out 
his soul unto death ; and he was numbered with the transgressors ; 
and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the trans- 
gressors. 

ISAIAH, LIV. 

The amplitude of the Gentile church, their safety, their deliverance 
out of affliction, their fair edification, and sure preservation. 

1 Sing, barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, 
and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child : for more are 
the children of the desolate, than the children of the married wife, 
saith the Lord. 

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the 
curtains of thine habitations ; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and 
strengthen thy stakes. 

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left ; and 
thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be 
inhabited. 

4 Fear not ; for thou shalt not be ashamed : neither be thou con- 
founded ; for thou shalt not be put to shame : for thou shalt forget 
the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy 
widowhood any more. 

5 For thy Maker is thine husband ; the Lord of hosts is his 
name : and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel ; The God of 
the whole earth shall he be called. 

6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken, and grieved 
in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thv 
God. 

7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee ; but with great 
mercies will I gather thee. 

8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; but with 
everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy 
Redeemer. 

9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me : for as I have sworn 
that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth ; so have 
I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 

10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but 
my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of 
my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. 

11 11 thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted ! 



Isaiah. 



183 



behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations 
with sapphires. 

12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of car- 
buncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. 

13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great 
shall be the peace of thy children. 

14 In righteousness shalt thou be established : thou shalt be far 
from oppression ; for thou shalt not fear : and from terror ; for it shall 
not come near thee. 

15 IT Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me : 
whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy 
sake. 

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the 
fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work ; and I have 
created the waster to destroy. 

17 1T No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper ; and 
every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt 
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord ; and 
their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. 

ISAIAH, LV. 

The prophet, with the promises of Christ, calleth to faith, and to 
repentance. The happy state of them that believe. 

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that 
hath no money : come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and 
milk without money and without price. 

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and 
your labor for that which satisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto 
me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in 
fatness. 

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your soul shall 
live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the 
sure mercies of David. 

4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader 
and commander to the people, 

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and 
nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord 
thy God, and for the holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified 
thee. 

6 IT Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him 
while he is near. 

7 Let the wicked forsake his w T ay, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts ; and let him return unto the Lord, and he wull have 
mercy upon him ; and to our God ; for he w r ill abundantly pardon. 

8 IT For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your 
ways my ways, saith the Lord. 

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways 
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and 
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring 



184 



Isaiah. 



forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the 
eater : 

11 So shall my word be, that goeth forth out of my mouth : it shall 
not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, 
and it shall prosper in the thing- whereto I sent it. 

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace : the 
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and 
all the trees of the field shall clap their- hands. 

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of 
the brier shall come up the- myrtle tree : and it shall be to the 
Lore, for a name, for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut 
off. 

ISAIAH, LVI. 

The prophet exhort eth to sanctification : he promts eth that it shall 
be general : he inveigheth against blind watchmen. 

1 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice : for 
my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 

2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that 
layeth hold on it ; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and 
keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 

3 IT Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to 
the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from 
his people : neither let the eunuch say, Behold 1 am a dry tree. 

4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sab- 
baths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my 
covenant ; 

5 Even unto them will I give in mine house, and within my wall?, 
a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters : I will give 
them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 

6 Also the sons of the stranger, that joined themselves to the Lord, 
to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, 
everyone that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it. and taketh hold 
of my covenant ; 

7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them 
joyful in my house of prayer : their burnt- offerings and their sacrifices 
shall be accepted upon mine altar ; for mine house shall be called an 
house of prayer for all people. 

8 The Lg-rd G v od, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, 
Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto 
him. 

9 IT All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea] all ye beasts in 
the forest. 

10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they ore all 
dumb dogs, they cannot bark ; sleeping, lying down, loving to 
slumber. 

11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and 
they are shepherds that cannot understand ; they all look to their 
own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 

12 Come ye, say they, 1 will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves 
with strong drink ; and te-morrow shall be as this day, and much 
more abundant. 



Ismah. 



185 



ISAIAH, LVII. 

The blessed death of the righteous. The Jews reproved for their 
whorish idolatry. 

1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart ; and 
merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is 
taken away from the evil to come. 

2 He shall enter into peace : they shall rest in their beds, each one 
walking in his uprightness. 

3 IT But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress^ the seed of the 
adulterer and the whore. 

4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a 
wide mouth, and draw out the tongue ? are ye not children of trans- 
gression, a seed of falsehood ; 

5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying 
the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks ? 

6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion ; they, 
they are thy lot : even to them hast thou poured a drink-offering;, 
thou hast offered a meat-offering. Should I receive comfort in 
these ? 

7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed : even 
thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. 

8 Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remem- 
brance ; for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art 
gone up : thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with 
them ; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it. 

9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase 
thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase 
thyself even unto hell. 

10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way ; yet saidst thou 
not, There is no hope : thou hast found the life of thine hand ; there- 
fore thou wast not grieved. 

11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast 
lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not 
I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not ? 

12 I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works ; for they shall 
not profit thee. 

13 IF When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee : but the 
wind shall carry them all away ; vanity shall take them : but he that 
putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my 
holy mountain ; 

14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take 
up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people. 

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, 
whose name i» Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him 
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the 
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

l(r For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth : 
for the spirit shonkl fail before me, and the souls which I have 
made. 

17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote 
him : I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way 
of his heart. 



1S6 



Isaiah. 



13 I have seen liis ways, and will heal him ; I will lead him also, 
and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. 

19 I create the fruit of the lips ; Peace, peace to him that is far 
off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord ; and I will heal him. 

20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, 
whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 

21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. 

ISAIAH, LVIII. 

Hypocritical facts reproved. The promises to godliness, and to a 
due observation of the sabbatJi. 

1 Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and 
shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their 
sins. 

2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a 
nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their 
God : they ask of me the ordinances of justice ; they take delight in 
approaching to God. 

3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not I where- 
fore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge ? 
Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your 
labors. 

4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of 
wickedness ; ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice 
to be heard on high. 

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to afflict 
his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread 
sackcloth and ashes under him ? wilt thou call this a fast, and an 
acceptable daj r to the Lord ? 

6 7s not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of 
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go 
free, and that ye break every yoke ? 

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungr\% and that thou bring the 
poor that are cast out to thy house ? when thou seest the naked, that 
thou cover him ; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own 
flesh ? 

8 IT Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine 
health shall spring forth speedily ; and thy righteousness shall go 
before thee : the glory of the Lord shall be thy rere-ward. 

9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt 
cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst 
of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the ringer, and speaking 
vanity ; 

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the 
afflicted soul ; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness 
be as the noon -day : 

11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, snd satisfy thy 
soul in drought, and make fat thy bones : and thou shalt be like a 
watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail 
not. 

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: 



Isaiah. 



187 



thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations ; and thou 
shalt be called. The Repairer of the breach, the Restorer of paths to 
dwell in. 

13 1T If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy 
pleasure on my holy day ; and call the sabbath a Delight, the Holy 
of the Lord, Honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own 
ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own 
words : 

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause 
thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the 
heritage of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken 
it. 

ISAIAH, LIX. 

The damnable nature of sin. Calamity is for sin, Salvation is 
only of God. The covenant of the Redeemer. 

1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save ; 
neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear : 

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your 
God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not 
hear. 

3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with 
iniquity ; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered 
perverseness. 

4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth : they trust 
in vanity, and speak lies ; they conceive mischief, and bring forth 
iniquity. 

5 They hatch cockatrice-eggs, and weave the spider's web : he 
that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh 
out into a viper. 

6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover 
themselves with their works : their works are works of iniquity, and 
the act of violence is in their hands. 

7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent 
blood : their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity ; wasting and destruc- 
tion ore in their paths. 

8 The way of peace they know not ; and there is no judgment in 
their goings : they have made them crooked paths ; whosoever goeth 
therein shall not know peace. 

9 TF Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice over- 
take us : we wait for light, but behold obscurity ; for brightness, but 
we walk in darkness. 

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had 
no eyes: we stumble at noon-day as in the night ; we are in desolate 
places as dead men. 

11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves : we look for 
judgment, but there is none : for salvation, but it is far off from 
us : 

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins 
testify against us : for our transgressions are with us ; and as for 
our iniquities, we know them ; 

13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing 



188 



Isaiah. 



away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and 
uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 

14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth 
afar off : for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 

15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh 
himself a prey : and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that 
there was no judgments 

16 IT And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there 
was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; 
and his righteousness, it sustained him. 

17 For he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and an helmet of 
salvation upon his head ; and he put on the garments of vengeance 
for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. 

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his 
adversaries, recompense to his enemies ; to the islands he will repay 
recompense. 

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his 
glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in 
like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against 
him. 

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that 
turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. 

21 As for me> this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord ; 
My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy 
mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy 
seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from 
henceforth and for ever. 

ISAIAH, LX. 

The glory of the church in the abundant access of the Gentiles, and 
the great blessings after a short affliction. 

1 Arise, shine ; for thy light is come 3 and the glory of the Lord is 
risen upon thee. 

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross dark- 
ness the people : but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory 
shall be seen upon thee. 

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the bright- 
ness of thy rising. 

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see : all thev gather them- 
selves together* they come to thee : thy sons shall come from far, 
and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 

5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall 
fear, and be enlarged ; because the abundance of the sea shall be 
converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto 
thee. 

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of 
Midian and Ephah \ all they from Sheba shall come : they shall 
bring gold and incense ; and they shall shew forth the praises of the 
Lord. 

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the 
rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee : they shall come up 



Isaiah. 



189 



with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my 
glory. 

8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their 
windows ? 

9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, 
to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto 
the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, 
because he hath glorified thee. 

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their 
kings shall minister unto thee ; for in my wrath I smote thee, but in 
my favor have I had mercy on thee. 

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually ; they shall not 
be shut day nor night : that men may bring unto thee the forces of 
the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. 

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall 
perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the 
pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanc- 
tuary ; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending 
unto thee ; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves 
down at the soles of thy feet ; and they shall call thee, The city of 
the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

15 IT Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man 
went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of 
many generations. 

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck 
the breast of kings : and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy 
Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. 

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and 
for wood brass, and for stones iron : I will also make thy officers 
peace, and thine exacters righteousness, 

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor 
destruction within thy borders ; but thou shalt call thy walls Salva- 
tion, and thy gates Praise. 

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither for bright- 
ness shall the moon give light unto Ihee : but the Lord shall be 
unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 

20 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon with- 
draw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the 
days of thy mourning shall be ended. 

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the 
land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that 
I may be glorified. 

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong 
nation : I the Lord will hasten it in his time. 

ISAIAH, LXI. 

The office of Christ The forwardness, and blessings of the 
faithful. 

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me ; because the Lord hath 
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek : he hath sent me 

16 



190 



Isaiah. 



to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, 
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; 

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of 
vengeance of our God ; to comfort all that mourn ; 

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them 
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for 
the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be called Trees of righteous- 
ness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. 

4 IT And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the 
former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desola- 
tions of many generations. 

5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of 
the alien shall be your plowmen, and your vine -dressers. 

6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord : men shall call 
you the Ministers of our God : ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, 
and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 

7 U For your shame ye shall have double, and for confusion they 
shall rejoice in their portion : therefore in their land they shall possess 
the double ; everlasting joy shall be unto them. 

8 For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt-offering ; 
and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting 
covenant with them. 

9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their 
offspring among the people : all that see them shall acknowledge 
them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. 

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my 
God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath 
covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh 
himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her 
jewels. 

11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden 
causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth ; so the Lord 
God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the 
nations, 

ISAIAH, Mil. 

The prophet's fervent desire to confirm the church in God's 
promises. The minister's office in preaching the gospel. 

1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's 
sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as bright- 
ness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 

2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy 
glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of 
the Lord shall name. 

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, 
and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 

4 Thou shalt no more be termed, Forsaken ; neither shall thy 
land any more be termed, Desolate : but thou shalt be called Hephzi- 
bah, and thy land Beulah : for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy 
land shall be married, 

5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry 



Isaiah. 



191 



thee : and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy 
God rejoice over thee. 

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, Jerusalem, which shall 
never hold their peace day nor night : ye that make mention of the 
Lord, keep not silence ; 

7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem 
a praise in the earth. 

8 The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his 
strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine 
enemies ; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine for the 
which thou hast labored : 

9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord ; 
and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of 
my holiness. 

10 IT Go through, go through the gates ; prepare ye the way of the 
people ; c^st up, cast up the high- way ; gather out the stones ; lift up 
a standard for the people. 

11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, 
say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh : 
behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the 
Lord : and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. 

ISAIAH, LXIII. 

Christ sheweth who he is, what his victory over his enemies, and 
what his mercy towards his church. 

1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from 
Bozrah ? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the 
greatness of his strength ? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to 
save. 

2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like 
him that treadeth in the wine-fat ? 

3 I have trodden the wine-press alone ; and of the people there 
was none with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample 
them in my fury ; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my gar- 
ments, and I will stain all my raiment. 

4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my 
redeemed is come. 

5 And I looked, and there was none to help ; and I wondered that 
there was none to uphold : therefore mine own arm brought salva- 
tion unto me ; and my fury it upheld me. 

6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them 
drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the 
earth. 

7 IT I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the 
praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on 
us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which he 
hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to 
the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. 

8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not 
lie : so he was their Saviour. 

9 II In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his 



192 



Isaiah. 



presence saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; 
and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 

10 TF But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit : therefore he 
was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. 

11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, 
saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the 
shepherd of his flock ? where is he that put bis holy Spirit within 
him ? 

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses, with his glorious 
arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting 
name ? 

13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, 
that they should not stumble ? 

14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord 
caused him to rest ; so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a 
glorious name. • 

15 IT Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of 
thy holiness and of thy glory : where is thy zeal and thy strength, 
the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies toward me ? are they 
restrained ? 

16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of 
us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our Father, 
our Redeemer ; thy name is from everlasting. 

17 IF O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and 
hardened our heart from thy fear ? Return for thy servants' sake, the 
tribes of thine inheritance. 

18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while : 
our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 

19 We are thine : thou never barest rule over them ; they were 
not called by thy name. 

ISAIAH, LXIV. 

The church prayeth for the illustration of God's power, and com- 
plaineth of affliction. 

1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest 
come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 

2 As when the melting fire burnetii, the fire causeth the waters 
to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations 
may tremble at thy presence ! 

3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou 
earnest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. 

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor 
perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, 
what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 

5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteousness ; 
those that remember thee in thy ways : behold, thou art wroth ; 
for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be 
saved. 

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses 
are as filthy rags ; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, 
like the wind, have taken us away. 

7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up 



Isaiah. 



193 



himself to take hold of thee : for thou hast hid thy face from us, and 
hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. 

8 But now, O Lord, thou art our Father : we are the clay, and 
thou our Potter ; and we all are the work of thy hand. 

9 *~. Be not wroth very sore, Lord, neither remember iniquity 
for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 

10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem 
a desolation. 

11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised 
thee, is burnt up with fire : and all our pleasant things are laid 
waste. 

12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, Lord I wilt thou 
hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore ? 

ISAIAH, LXV. 

The Gentiles called. The Jews rejected: the blessed state of the 
new Jerusalem. 

1 I am sought of them that asked not for me ; I am found of them 
that sought me not : 1 said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that 
was not called by my name. 

2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, 
which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own 
thoughts ; 

3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face ; 
that sacrificeth in gardens, and burnetii incense upon altars of 
brick ; 

4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments ; 
which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their 
vessels ; 

5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me ; for I am 
holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth 
all the day. 

6 Behold, it is written before me ; I will not keep silence, but will 
recompense, even recompense into their bosom, 

7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith 
the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and 
blasphemed me upon the hills : therefore will 1 measure their former 
work into their bosom. 

8 IT Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, 
and one saith, Destroy it not ; for a blessing is in it : so will I do for 
my servant's sakes, that I may not destroy them all. 

9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an 
inheritor of my mountains : and mine elect shall inherit it, and my 
servants shall dwell there. 

10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor 
a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought 
me. 

11 IT But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy 
mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the 
drink-offering unto that number. 

12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow 
down to the slaughter i because when I called, ye did not answer 

16* 



194 



Isaiah, 



when I spake, ye did not hear ; but did evil before mine eyes > and 
did choose that wherein I delighted not. 

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God. Behold, my servants shall 
eat, but ye shall be hungry : behold, my servants shall drink, but 
ye shall be thirsty : behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall 
be ashamed : 

14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry 
for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. 

15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen : 
for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another 
name : 

16 That he whoblesseth himself in the earth, shall bless himself in 
the God of truth ; and he that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by 
the God of truth ; because the former troubles are forgotten, and 
because the}* are hid from mine eyes. 

17 *7 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the 
former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 

18 But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create : for. 
behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and 
the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of 
crying. 

20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old 
man that hath not filled his daj-s : for the child shall die an hundred 
years old ; but the sinner, being an hundred years old, shall be 
accursed. 

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them ; and they shall 
plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 

22 The}* shall not build, and another inhabit: they shall not plant, 
and another eat : for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, 
and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 

23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble - y for 
they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with 
them. 

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer : 
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall 
eat straw like the bullock : and dust shall be the serpent's meat. 
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the 
Lord. 

ISAIAH, LXVI. 

God will be served in humble sincerity. The faithful comforted. 
God's severe judgments against the wicked. 

1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is 
my footstool : where is the house that ye build unto me ? and where 
is the place of my rest ? 

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things 
have been, saith the Lord : but to this man will I look, even to 
him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my 
word. 

3 He that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man ; he that sacrificeth 



Isaiah. 



195 



a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck ; he that offereth an oblation, as 
if he offered swine's blood ; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed 
an idol : yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul 
delighteth in their abominations. 

4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon 
them ; because, when I called, none did answer ; when I spake, they 
did not hear : but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in 
which I delighted not. 

5 IT Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word ; 
Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, 
said, Let the Lord be glorified : but he shall appear to your joy, and 
they shall be ashamed. 

6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice 
of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies. 

7 Before she travailed, she brought forth ; before her pain came, 
she was delivered of a man-child. 

8 Who hath heard such a thing ? who hath seen such things ? 
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day ? or shall a nation 
be born at once ? for as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her 
children. 

9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth ? saith 
the Lord : shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb ? saith thy 
God. 

10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that 
love her : rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her ; 

11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her 
consolations ; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the 
abundance of her glory. 

12 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her 
like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream : then 
shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon 
her knees. 

13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you ; 
and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 

14 And w T hen ye see this your heart shall rejoice, and your bones 
shall flourish like an herb ; and the hand of the Lord shall be 
known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his ene- 
mies. 

15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his 
chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his 
rebuke with flames of fire, 

16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all 
flesh : and the slain of the Lord shall be many. 

17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the 
gardens, behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the 
abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the 
Lord. 

18 For I know their works and their thoughts : it shall come, that 
I will gather all nations and tongues ; and they shall come and see 
my glory. 

19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that 
escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that 
draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not 



196 



Isaiah. Micah. 



heard my fame, neither have seen my glory ; and they shall declare 
my glory among the Gentiles. 

20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the 
Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, 
and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jeru- 
salem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in 
a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 

21 And I will also take of them for priests, and for Levites, saith 
the Lord. 

22 For as the new heavens, and the new earth, which I will 
make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed 
and your name remain. 

23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, 
■and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship 
before me, saith the Lord. 

24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men 
that have transgressed against me : for their worm shall not die, 
neither shall their fire be quenched ; and they shall be an abhorring 
unto all flesh. 

B. C. 700. MICAH, VII. 

The church, complaining of her small number, and the general 
corruption, putteth her confidence in God. 

1 Woe is me ! for I am as when they have gathered the summer- 
fruits, as the grape-gleanings of the vintage : there is no cluster to 
eat : my soul desired the first-ripe fruit. 

2 The good man is perished out of the earth ; and there is none 
upright among men : they all lie in wait for blood ; they hunt every 
man his brother with a net. 

3 IT That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince 
asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward ; and the great man he 
uttereth his mischievous desire : so they wrap it up. 

4 The best of them is as a brier ; the most upright is sharper than 
a thorn hedge : the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh ; 
now shall be their perplexity. 

5 IT Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide ; 
keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 

6 For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against 
her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ; a man's 
enemies are the men of his own house. 

7 Therefore will I look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of 
my salvation : my God will hear me. 

8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy : when I fall, I shall 
arise ; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. 

9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned 
against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me : 
he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteous- 
ness. 

10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall 
cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God ? mine 
eyes shall behold her : now shall she be trodden down as the mire of 
the streets. 



Micah. Hezekiah. Manasseh. 



197 



11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the 
decree be far removed. 

12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and 
from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and 
from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. 

13 Notwithstanding, the land shall be desolate, because of them 
that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. 

14 U Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, 
which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel : let them 
feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old. 

15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt 
will I shew unto him marvellous things. 

16 TT The nations shall see, and be confounded at all their might: 
they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be 
deaf. 

17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of 
their holes like worms of the earth : they shall be afraid of the Lord 
our God, and shall fear because of thee. 

18 IT Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and 
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage ? he 
retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us ; he will 
subdue our iniquities : and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths 
of the sea. 

20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to 
Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of 
old. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXII. B. C. 699. 

33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the 
chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David : and all Judah and 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And 
Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXIII. 

Manasseh' s wicked reign : he is carried into 'Babylon : upon his 
prayer he is released : Amon succeedeth him : he being slain by 
his own servants, Josiah succeedeth him. 

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he 
reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem : 

2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto 
the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before 
the children of Israel. 

3 IT For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father 
had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made 
groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 

4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord 
had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. 

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts 
of the house of the Lord. 

6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley 



19S 



Manasseh. 



of the son of Hinnom ; also he observed times, and used enchant- 
ments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with 
wizards : he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke 
him to anger. 

7 * And he set a carved image (the idol which he had made) in the 
house of God, of which God had said to David, and to Solomon his 
son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all 
the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever : 

8 Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the 
land which I have appointed for your fathers ; so that they will take 
heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the 
whole law, and the statutes, and the ordinances, by the hand of 
Moses. 

9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to 
err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed 
before the children of Israel. 

10 *T And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people ; but they 
would not hearken. 

B. C. 660. 2 kings, xxi. 

10 IT And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, 

11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, 
and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which 
were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols ; 

12 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am 
bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth 
of it, both his ears shall tingle. 

13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the 
plummet of the house of Ahab : and I will wipe Jerusalem, as a man 
wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. 

14 And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver 
them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey 
and a spoil to all their enemies ; 

15 Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and 
have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth 
out of Egypt, even unto this day. 

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he 
had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin where- 
with he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight 
of the Lord. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXIII. 

11 Wherefore the Lord brought upon him the captains of the 
host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, 
and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 

12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, 
and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 

13 And prayed unto him ; and he was entreated of him, and heard 
his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his king- 
dom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God. 



* B. C. 685. 



Manasseh. Avion. Josiah. 



199 



14 * Now after this he built a wall without the city of David on 
the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the 
fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very 
great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of 
Judah. 

15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the 
house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount 
of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the 
city. 

16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon 
peace-offerings and thank-offerings, and commanded Judah to serve 
the Lord God of Israel. 

17 Nevertheless, the people did sacrifice still in the high places, 
yet unto the Lord their God only. 

2 kings, xxi. B. C. 644 

18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the 
garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza : and Amon his son 
reigned in his stead. 

19 Tf Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; 
and he reigned two years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was 
Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jothah. 

20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as 
his father Manasseh did. 

21 And he walked in all the ways that his father walked in, and 
served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them : 

22 And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in 
the way of the Lord. 

23 t If And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew 
the king in his own house. 

24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired 
against king Amon ; and the people of the land made Josiah his son 
king in his stead. 

26 And he was buried in his sepulchre, in the garden of Uzza : 
and Josiah his son reigned in his stead. 

2 KINGS, XXII. 

JosiaKs good reign : he provideth for the repair of the temple, 
Hilkiah findeth the book of the law. Huldah's prophecy. 

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign ; and he 
reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name 
was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and 
walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the 
right hand or to the left. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXIV. B. C. 634 

3 1T For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, 
he began to seek after the God of David his father : f and in the 



* B. C. 650. 



t B. C. 642. 



t B. C. 630, 



200 



Josiah. Jeremiah* 



twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high 
places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten 
images. 

4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence i and 
the images that were on high above them he cut down ; and the 
groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in 
pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of 
them that had sacrificed unto them. 

5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and 
cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 

6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and 
Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about 

7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groyes, and 
had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the 
idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. 

B. C. 629. JEREMIAH, I. 

The calling of Jeremiah : his vision : his message against Judah : 
God promiseth to assist him* 

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that 
were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin : 

2 To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah, the 
son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of 
Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of 
Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in 
the fifth month. 

4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee ; and before thou 
earnest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee ; and I ordained thee 
a prophet unto the nations. 

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak ; for I am 
a child. 

7 IT But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child : for thou 
shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee 
thou shalt speak. 

8 Be not afraid of their faces : for I am with thee to deliver thee, 
saith the Lord. 

9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth i 
and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy 
mouth. 

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the 
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw 
down, to build, and to plant. 

11 IT Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto rne, saying, 
Jeremiah, what seest thou ? And I said, I see a rod of an almond 
tree. 

12 Then said the Lord unto me 5 Thou hast well seen : for I will 
hasten my word to perform it. 

13 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, 
saying, What seest thou ? And I said, I see a seething pot ; and the 
face thereof is toward the north. 



Jeremiah. 



201 



14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall 
break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 

15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, 
saith the Lord ; and they shall come, and they shall sit every one 
his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all 
the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 

16 And I will utter my judgments against them, touching all their 
wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto 
other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. 

17 \\ Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto 
them all that I command thee : be not dismayed at their faces, lest I 
confound thee before them. 

18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an 
iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings 
of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and 
against the people of the land. 

19 And they shall fight against thee ; but they shall not prevail 
against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee. 

JERE3IIAH, II. B. C. 628. 

God's expostulation with the Jews touching their causeless 

revolt. 

1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

2 Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the 
Lord ; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the Jove of thine 
espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land 
that was not sown. 

3 Israel teas holiness unto the Lord, and the first fruits of his 
increase : all that devour him shal] offend ; evil shall come upon them, 
saith the Lord. 

4 Hear ye the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the 
families of the house of Israel : 

5 Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in 
me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, 
and are become vain ? 

6 Neither said they, YvTiere is the Lord that brought us up out of 
the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land 
of deserts ancTof pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow 
of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no 
man dwelt ? 

7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit 
thereof, and the goodness thereof ; but when ye entered ye defiled 
my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 

8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord ? and they that handle 
the law knew me not : the pastors also transgressed against me, and 
the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not 
profit. 

9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with 
your children's children will 1 plead. 

10 For pass over the isles of Chirtim, and see ; and send unto 
Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing : 

17 



202 



Jeremiah. 



11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods ? Bui 
my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. 

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be 
ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 

13 For my people have committed two evils ; they have forsaken 
me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns^ 
broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 

14 IF Is Israel a servant ? Is he a homeborn slave ? Why is he 
spoiled ? 

15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made 
his land waste : his cities are burned without inhabitant. 

18 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the 
crown of thy head. 

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast for- 
saken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way ? 

18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the 
waters of Sihor ? Or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to 
drink the waters of the river ? 

19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee ; and thy backslidings 
shall reprove thee : know therefore and see that it is an evil thing 
and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my 
fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts, 

20 II For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy 
bands: and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high: 
hill, and under every green tree, thou wanderest, playing the 
harlot. 

21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed : how 
then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto 
me ? 

22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much 
soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. 

23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, 1 have not gone after 
Baalim ? See thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done : 
thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways : 

24 A wild ass i*sed to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at 
her pleasure ; in her occasion who can turn her away ? Ail they 
that seek her will not weary themselves ; in her mouth they shall 
find her. 

25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst : 
but thou saidst, There is no hope : no; for 1 have loved strangers., 
and after them will I go. 

26 As the thief is ashamed when lie is found, so is the house of 
Israel ashamed ; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, 
and their prophets, 

27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father ; and to a stone, Thou 
hast brought me forth : for they have turned their back unto me, and 
not their face : but in the time of their trouble they will say. Arise, 
and save us. 

28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee ? Let them 
arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble : for according 
to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. 

29 Wherefore will ye plead with me ? Ye all have transgressed 
against me, saith the Lord, 



Jeremiah. Josiah. 



203 



30 In vain have I smitten your children : they received no correc- 
tion : your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying 
lion. 

31 IT generation, see ye the word of the Lord : Have I been a 
wilderness unto Israel ? a land of darkness ? Wherefore say my 
people, We are lords ; we will come no more unto thee ? 

32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire ? Yet 
my people have forgotten me days without number. 

33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love r Therefore hast 
thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. 

34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor 
innocents : I have not found it by secret search, but upon all 
these. 

35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall 
turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, 
I have not sinned. 

36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way ? Thou 
also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. 

37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine 
head : for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not 
prosper in them. 

2 chronicles, xxxiv. B. C. 624. 

8 IT And it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, 
when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent to Shaphan, 
the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah, the governor of the city, and Joah, 
the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his 
God. 

9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered, 
the money that was brought into the house of God, which the 
Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and 
Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Ben- 
jamin, and they returned to Jerusalem. 

10 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the over- 
sight of the hGuse of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen 
that wrought in the house of the Lord, to repair and amend the 
house ; 

11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn 
stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the 
kings of Judah had destroyed. 

12 And the men did the work faithfully : and the overseers of them 
were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari ; and 
Zechariah and Meshullam ; of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it 
forward ; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments 
of music. 

13 Also they vjere over the bearers of burdens, &ndicere overseers 
of all that wrought the work in any manner of service : and of the 
Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters. 

14 U And when they brought out the money that was brought into 
the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law ot 
the Lord given by Moses. 

15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, 1 have 



204 



Josiah. 



found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah 
delivered the book to Shaphan. 

16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the 
king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, 
they do it. 

17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in 
the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the 
overseers, and to the hand of the workmen. 

18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the 
priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the 
king. 

19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the 
law, that he rent his clothes. 

20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of 
Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and 
Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, 

21 Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in 
Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found : 
for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because 
our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is 
written in this book. 

22 And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to 
Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the 
son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe ; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem 
in the college :) and they spake to her to that effect. 

23 TT And she answered them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
Tell ye the man that sent y r ou to me, 

24 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, 
and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written 
in the book which they have read before the king of Judah : 

25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto 
other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works 
of their hands ; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this 
place, and shall not be quenched. 

26 And as for the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the 
Lord, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel 
concerning the words which thou hast heard. 

27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself 
before God, when thou heardst his words against this place, and 
against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and 
didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me ; I have even heard thee 
also, saith the Lord. 

28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be 
gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the 
evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the 
same. So they brought the king word again. 

29 4 Then the king sent, and gathered together all the elders of 
Judah and Jerusalem. 

30 And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the 
men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the 
Levites, and all the people great and small : and he read in their 
ears all the words of the book of the covenant, that was found in the 
house of the Lord. 



Jesiah. 



205 



31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before 
the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments 
and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all 
his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in 
this book. 

32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benja- 
min to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to 
the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 

33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the 
countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that 
were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord their God. 
And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God 
of their fathers. 



2 KIXG3, XXIII. 

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests 
of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of 
the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for 
the grove, and for all the host of heaven ; and he burnt them without 
Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto 
Beth-el. 

- 5 And he put down the idolatrous priests^ whom the kings of Judah 
had ordained to burn incense in the high places, in the cities of Judah, 
and in the places round about Jerusalem ; them also that burn incense 
unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all 
the host of heaven. 

6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, 
without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burnt it at the brook 
Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof 
upon the graves of the children of the people. 

7 And he brake down the houses of the Sodomites, that were by 
the house of the Lord, where the' women wove hanging's for the 
grove. 

8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and 
defiled the high places where the priests had burnt incense, from 
Geba to Beer-sheba, and brake down the high places of the gates 
that icere in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor 
of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the 
city. 

9 Nevertheless, the priests of the high places came not up to the 
altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened 
bread among their brethren. 

10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children 
of Kinnorn, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass 
through the fire to Molech. 

11 And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given 
to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the Lord, by the 
chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the 
suburbs, and burnt the chariots of the sun with fire. 

12 And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber ot 
Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which 

17 * 



206 



Josiah. 



Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, did 
the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the 
dust of them into the brook Kidron. 

13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were 
on the right hand of the mount of Corruption, which Solomon the 
king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zido- 
nians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for 
Mil com the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king 
defile. 

14 And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, 
and filled their places with the bones of men. 

15 IF Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place 
which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had 
made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burnt 
the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burnt the 
grove. 

16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were 
there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, 
and burnt them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word 
of the Lord, which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed 
these words. 

17 Then he said, What title is that that I see ? And the men of the 
city* told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God which came 
from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against 
the altar of Beth-el. 

18 And he said, Let him alone ; let no man move his bones : so 
they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out 
of Samaria. 

19 And all the houses also of the high places that were in the 
cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the 
LOUD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all 
the acts that he had done in Beth-el. 

20 And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there 
upon the altars, and burnt men's bones upon them, and returned to 
Jerusalem. 

B. C. 623. 2 CHRONICLES, xxxv. 

Josiah keeveth a solemn passover. 

1 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem : 
and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first 
month. 

2 And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to 
the service of the house of the Lord, 

3 And said unto the Levites teiat taught all Israel, which were 
holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon 
the son of David king of Israel did build ; it shall not be a burden 
upon your shoulders : serve now the Lord your God, and his people 
Israel, 

4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your 



* See 1 Kings, xiii. 2 : or, B. C. 974. 



Josiah. 



207 



courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and accord- 
ing to the writing of Solomon his son ; 

5 And stand in the holy place, according to the divisions of the 
families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the 
division of the families of the Levites ; 

6 So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your 
brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the 
hand of Moses. 

7 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all 
for the passover-offe rings, for all that were present, to the number of 
thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks : these were of the 
king's substance. 

8 And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, 
and to the Levites: Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the 
house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover-offerings two 
thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. 

9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel his brethren, and 
Hashabiah, and Jehiel, and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto 
the Levites, for passover-offerings, five thousand small cattle, and five 
hundred oxen. 

10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their 
place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's com- 
mandment. 

11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood 
from their hands, and the Levites slayed them. 

12 And they removed the burnt- offerings, that they might give 
according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto 
the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses : and so did they 
with the oxen. 

13 And they roasted the passover with fire, according to the 
ordinance : but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in 
caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the 
people. 

14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the 
priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering 
of burnt-offerings and the fat until night ; therefore the Levites 
prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron. 

15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according 
to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun 
the king's seer ; and the porters waited at every gate ; they might 
not depart from their service ; for their brethren the Levites prepared 
for them. 

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to 
keep the passover, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of the 
Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah. 

17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover 
at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread, seven days. 

18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel, from the 
days of Samuel the prophet ; neither did all the kings of Israel keep 
such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, 
and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem. 



208 



Josiah. Jeremiah. 



19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover 
kept. 

B. C. 620, 2 kings, xxiii. 

24 51 Moreover, the toorkers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, 
and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were 
spied in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, 
that he might perform the words of the law, which were written 
in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the 
Lord. 

25 And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to 
the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his 
might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose 
there any like him. 

26 U Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of 
his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, 
because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him 
withal. 

27 And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, 
as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which 
I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be 
there. 

JEREMIAH, III. 

&od?s great mercy in Judah's vile whoredom. The promises of 
the gospel to the penitent. 

1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and 
become another man's, shall he return unto her again ? shall not 
that land be greatly polluted ? But thou hast played the harlot with 
many lovers ; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. 

2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast 
not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the 
Arabian in the wilderness ; and thou hast polluted the land with thy 
whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 

3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath 
been no latter rain ; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst 
to be ashamed. 

4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art 
the guide of my youth ? 

5 Will he reserve his anger for ever ? will he keep it to the 
end ? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou 
eouldest. 

6 IT The Lord said also unto me, in the days of Josiah the king. 
Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done ? She is gone 
up upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and there 
hath played the harlot. 

7 And I said, after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto 
me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw 
it. 

8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel 
committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of 



Jeremiah, 



209 



divorce ; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and 
played the harlot also. 

9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, 
that she denied the land, and committed adultery with stones and 
with stocks. 

10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not 
turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the 
Lord. 

11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath 
justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 

12 ffi Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, 
Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord ; and I will not cause 
mine anger to fall upon you : for I am merciful saith the Lord, and 
I will not keep anger for ever. 

13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed 
against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the stran- 
gers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith 
the Lord. 

14 Turn, backsliding children, saith the Lord ; for I am married 
unto you : and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and 
I will bring you to Zion : 

15 And 1 will give you pastors according to mine heart, which 
shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 

16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased 
in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, 
The ark of the covenant of the Lord : neither shall it come to mind ; 
neither shall they remember it ; neither shall they visit it ; neither 
shall that be done any more. 

17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord ; 
and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, 
to Jerusalem : neither shall they walk any more after the imagina- 
tion of their evil hearts. 

18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of 
Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to 
the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. 

19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give 
thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? And 
I said, Thou shalt call me, My father ; and shalt not turn away from 
me. 

20 IT Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, 
so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the 
Lord. 

21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and suppli- 
cations of the children of Israel : for they have perverted their way, 
and they have forgotten the Lord their God. 

22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your back- 
sliding. Behold, we come unto thee ; for thou art the Lord our 
God. ' 

23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from 
the multitude of mountains : truly in the Lord our God is the 
salvation of Israel. 

24 For shame hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our 
youth : their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 



210 



Jeremiah. 



25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us : for 
we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from 
our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the 
Lord our God. 

JEREMIAH, IV. 

God calleth Israel by his promises : he exhorteth Judah to repent- 
ance. 

1 If thou wilt return, Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me : 
and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then 
shalt thou not remove. 

2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, 
and in righteousness ; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, 
and in him shall they glory. 

8 IT For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, 
Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins 
of your heart, ye men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem : lest 
my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, be- 
cause of the evil of your doings. 

5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow 
ye the trumpet in the land : cry, gather together, and say, Assemble 
yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. 

6 Set up the standard toward Zion : retire, stay not : for I will 
bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. 

7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the 
Gentiles is on his way ; he is gone forth from his place to make thy 
land desolate ; and thy cities shall be laid waste without an inhabi- 
tant. 

8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl : for the fierce 
anger of the Lord is not turned back from us. 

9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the 
heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the 
priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. 

10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived 
this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; wmereas the 
sword reacheth unto the soul. 

11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A 
dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of 
my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, 

12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me : now 
also will I give sentence against them. 

13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as 
a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for 
we are spoiled. 

14 Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou 
mayest be saved : how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within 
thee ? 

15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from 
mount Ephraim. 

16 Make ye mention to the nations: behold, publish against 



Jeremiah. Zephaa iah , 



211 



Jerusalem, that watchers come from afar country, and give out their 
voice against the cities of Judah. 

17 As keepers of a field are they against her round about ; because 
she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord, 

18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee : 
this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto 
thine heart. 

19 IF My bowels, my bowels ! I am pained at my very heart ; my 
heart maketh a noise in me : I cannot hold my peace, because thou 
hast heard, my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of 
war. 

20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is 
spoiled ; suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a mo- 
ment. 

21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the 
trumpet ? 

22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me ; they are 
sottish children, and they have none understanding : they are wise 
to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 

23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it teas without form and void ; and 
the heavens, and they had no light. 

24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills 
moved lightly. 

25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the 
heavens were fled. 

26 I beheld, and, lo,. the fruitful place was a wilderness^ and all 
the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord. 
and by his fierce anger. 

27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate ; 
yet will 1 not make a full end. 

28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be 
black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not 
repent, neither will I turn back from it. 

29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and 
bowmen ; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks : 
every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein. 

30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do ? Though thou 
clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with 
ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in 
vain shalt thou make thyself fair ; thy lovers will despise thee, they 
will seek thy life. 

31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the 
anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child ; the voice of the 
daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands 3 
saying, Woe is me now ! for my soul is wearied because of mur- 
derers. 

zepha^iah, i. B. C. 620 * 

God's severe judgments against Judah for divers sins. 
1 The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of 

* This is between Jahn and Scott: the former dating it B.C. 630. the latter 
B. C.612. 



212 



Zephaniah. 



Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, 
In the days of Josiah the son of Anion, king of Judah. 

2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the 
Lord. 

3 I will consume man and beast : I will consume the fowls of 
the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks 
with the wicked : and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the 
Lord. 

4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal 
from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests ; 

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops : 
and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear 
by Malcham ; 

6 And them that are turned back from the Lord ; and those that 
have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him. 

7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God : for the day of 
the Lord is at hand : for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath 
bid his guests. 

8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that 
I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are 
clothed with strange apparel. 

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the 
threshold, which fill their masters houses with violence and de- 
ceit. 

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there 
shall be the noise of a cry from the fish-gate, and an howling from 
the second, and a great crashing from the hills. 

11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people 
are cut down ; all they that bear silver are cut off. 

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jeru- 
salem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: 
that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he 
do evil. 

13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a 
desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and 
they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. 

14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth 
greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord : the mighty man 
shall cry there bitterly. 

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day 
of wasteness and desolation, a da}* of darkness and gloominess, a day 
of clouds and thick darkness, 

16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and 
against the high towers. 

17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like 
blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord : and their 
blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them 
in the day of the Lord's wrath ; but the whole land shall be 
devoured by the fire of his jealousy : for he shall make even a speedy 
riddance of all them that dwell in the land. 



Zeplinniah. 



213 



ZEPHA>'IAH, II. 

An exhortation to repentance. The judgment of the Philistines, of 
Moab, and Amnion, of Ethiopia, and Assyria. 

1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, nation not 
desired ; 

2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, 
before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day 
of the Lord's anger come upon you, 

3 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have 
wrought his judgment ; seek righteousness, seek meekness : it may 
be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. 

4 IT For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation : they 
shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted 
up. 

5 W oe unto the inhabitants of the sea coasts, the nation of the 
Cherethites ! the word of the Lord is against you ; Canaan, the 
land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be 
no inhabitant. 

6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, 
and folds for flocks. 

7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah ; 
they shall feed thereupon : in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie 
down in the evening : for the Lord their God shall visit them and 
turn away their captivity. 

8 IT I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the 
children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and 
magnified themselves against their border. 

9 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 
Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as 
Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles and salt-pits, and a perpetual 
desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the rem- 
nant of my people shall possess them. 

10 This shall they have lor their pride, because they have 
reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord 
of hosts. 

11 The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the 
gods of the earth ; and men shall worship him, every one from his 
place, even all the isles of the heathen. 

12 IT Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 

13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy 
Assyria ; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilder- 
ness. 

14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of 
the nations : both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in 
the upper lintels of it ; their voice shall sing in the windows ; 
desolation shall be in the thresholds : for he shall uncover the cedar 
work. 

15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her 
heart, I am, and there is none beside me : how is she become a 
desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in ! every one that passeth 
by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 

IS 



214 



Zephcmiah. 



ZEPHANIAH, III. 

A sharp reproof of Jerusalem for divers sifts. An exhortation ic 
wait for the restoration of Israel, and to rejoice for their salva- 
tion by God. 

1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city I 

2 She obeyed not the voice ; she received not correction ; she 
trusted not in the Lord ; she drew not near to her God. 

3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening 
wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 

4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons ; her priests 
have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 

5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof: he will not do iniquity : 
every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not, 
but the unjust knoweth no shame. 

6 I have cut off the nations : their towers are desolate, I made 
their streets waste, that none passeth by : their cities are destroyed, 
so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. 

7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; 
so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them : 
but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. 

8 IT Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that 
I rise up to the prey ; for my determination is to gather the nations, 
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indigna- 
tion, even ail my fierce anger : for all the earth shall be devoured 
with the fire of my jealousy. 

9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they 
may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one 
consent. 

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the 
daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. 

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein 
thou hast transgressed against me : for then I will take away out of 
the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride ; and thou shait no 
more be haughty because of my holy mountain. 

12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor 
people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. 

13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies ; 
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth : for they 
shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 

14 IT Sing, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O Israel ; be glad and 
rejoice with all the heart. O daughter o!" Jerusalem. 

15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out 
thine enemy : the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of 
thee : thou shalt not see evil any more. 

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not ; and to 
Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 

17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will 
save, he will rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his love, he 
will joy over thee with singing. 

18 1 will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, 
who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. 

19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee ; and I will 



Jeremiah. Jo si ah. 



215 



save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out ; and I will 
get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to 
shame. 

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I 
gather you : for I will make you a name and a praise among all 
people of the earth, when I turned back your captivity before your 
eyes, saith the Lord. 

JEREMIAH, XLVIII. B. C. 610. 

The judgment of Mo ah for several corruptions : the restoration of 

Moab. 

1 Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 
Woe unto Nebo ! for it is spoiled ; Kiriathaim is confounded and 
taken ; Misgab is confounded and dismayed. 

2 There shall be no more praise of Moab : in HeshbGn they have 
devised evil against it ; come, and let us cut it off from being a 
nation : also thou shalt be cut down, Madmen ; the sword shall 
pursue thee. 

3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great 
destruction. 

4 Moab is destroyed ; her little ones have caused a cry to be 
heard. 

5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up : 
for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of 
destruction. 

6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilder- 
ness, 

7 If For because thou hast trusted in thy works, and in thy treas- 
ures, thou shalt also be taken; and Chemosh shall go forth into 
captivity, with his priests and his princes together. 

8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall 
escape ; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, 
as the Lord hath spoken. 

9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away : for 
the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. 

10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and 
cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood- 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXV. 

20 IT After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho 
king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish, by Euphrates : 
and Josiah went out against him. 

21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do 
with thee, thou king of Judah ? I come not against thee this day, but 
against the house wherewith I have war ; for God commanded me to 
make haste : forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, 
that he destroy thee not. 

22 Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, but 
disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not 
unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight 
in the valley of Megiddo, 



216 Jehoahaz. Jehoiakim. Habakhuk. 



23 And the archers shot at king Josiah ; and the king said to his 
servants, Have me away ; for I am sore wounded. 

24 His servants, therefore, took him out of that chariot, and put 
him in the second chariot that he had ; and they brought him to 
Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of 
his fathers : and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 

25 IT And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah ; and all the singing-men 
and the singing- women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this 
day, and made them an ordinance in Israel : and, behold, they are 
Written in the Lamentations. 

2 CHRONICLES, XXXVI. 

1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, 
and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. 

2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to 
reign ; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 

3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and con- 
demned the land in an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of 
gold. 

4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over 
Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And 
Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. 

5 IT Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to 
reign ; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem : and he did thai 
which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, 

HABAKKUKj I. 

Unto Habakhuk, complaining of the iniquity of the land, is shewed 
the fearful vengeance by the Chaldeans. 

1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. 

2 O Lord, how long shall 1 cry, and thou wilt not hear ! even cry 
out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save ! 

3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold 
grievance ? for spoiling and violence are before me : and there are 
that raise up strife and contention. 

4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth : 
for the wicked doth compass about the righteous ; therefore wrong 
judgment proceedeth. 

5 IT Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvel- 
lous^ : for / will work a work in your days, which ye will not 
believe, though it be told you. 

6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, 
which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the 
dwelling-places that are not theirs. 

7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity 
shall proceed of themselves. 

8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more 
fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread 
themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far : they shall fly 
as the eagle that hasteth to eat. 



Habakkuk. 



217 



9 They shall come all for violence : their faces shall sup up as the 
east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. 

10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a 
scorn unto them : they shall deride every strong hold ; for they shall 
heap dust, and take it. 

11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, 
imputing this his power unto his god. 

12 IT Art thou not from everlasting, Lord my God, mine Holy 
One ? we shall not die. Lord, thou hast ordained them for 
judgment; and, mighty God, thou hast established them for 
correction. 

13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look 
on iniquity : wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacher- 
ously, and boldest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man 
that is more righteous than he ! 

14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping 
things that have no ruler over them ? 

15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in 
their net, and gather them in their drag ; therefore they rejoice and 
are glad. 

16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto 
their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat 
plenteous. 

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually 
to slay the nations ? 

HABAKKUK, II. 

Unto Habakkuk, waiting for an answer, is shewed that he must 
wait by faith. The judgment upon the Chaldeans. 

1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will 
watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer 
when I am reproved. 

2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and 
make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time ; but at the end it 
shall speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will 
surely come, it will not tarry. 

4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him : but 
the just shall live by his faith. 

5 IT Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, 
neither keepeth at home ; who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as 
death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and 
heapeth unto him all people : 

6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting 
proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which 
is not his ! how long ? and to him that ladeth himself with thick 
clay ! 

7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake 
that shall vex thee, and thou shall be for booties unto them ? 

8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the 
people shall spoil thee ; because of men's blood, and for the violence 
of the land of the citv, and of all that dwell therein. 

18 * 



218 



Habakkuk, 



9 IT Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house? 
that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the 
power of evil ! 

10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many 
people, and hast sinned against thy soul. 

11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of 
the timber shall answer it. 

12 IT Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a 
city by iniquity ! 

13 Behold is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall 
labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for 
very vanity ? 

14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of 
the LoE.D, as the waters cover the sea. 

15 IT Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink ; that puttest thy 
bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on 
their nakedness ! 

16 Thou art filled with shame for glory : drink thou also, and let 
thy foreskin be uncovered : the cup of the Lord's right hand shall 
be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. 

17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of 
beasts, ivhich made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the 
violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. 

18 IT What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath 
graven it ; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker 
of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols ? 

19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake : to the dumb 
stone, Arise, it shall teach ! Behold, it is laid over with gold and 
silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple : let all the earth keep 
silence before him. 

HAEAKKUK, III. 

Habakkuk, in his prayer, trembleth at God's majesty: the confidence 
of his faith. 

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. 

2 O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid : O Lord, 
revive thy word in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years 
make known ; in wrath remember mercy. 

3 ft God came from Teman, and the holy One from mount Paran. 
Selah. His glory covered the heaven, and the earth w T as full of his 
praise. 

4 And Ms brightness was as the light ; he had horns coming out 
of his hand : and there was the hiding of his power. 

5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at 
his feet. 

6 He stood, and measured the earth : he beheld, and drove asunder 
the nations ; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the per- 
petual hills did bow : his ways are everlasting. 

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction : and the curtains of the 
land of Midian did tremble. 

8 Was the Lord displeased against the rivers ? was thine anger 



Habakkuk. Jeremiah. 



219 



against the rivers ? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride 
upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation ? 

9 Thy how was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the 
tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with 
rivers. 

10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled : the overflowing 
of the water passed by : the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his 
hands on high. 

11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation : at the light 
of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering 
spear. 

12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst 
thresh the heathen in anger. 

13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for 
salvation with thine anointed ; thou woundedst the head out of the 
house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. 
Selah. 

14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his 
villages : they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me : their rejoicing 
was as to devour the poor secretly. 

15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the 
heap of great waters. 

16 AVhen I heard, my belly trembled ; my lips quivered at the 
voice ; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, 
that I might rest in the day of trouble : when he cometh up unto the 
people, he will invade them with his troops. 

17 IT Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be 
in the vines ; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall 
yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall 
be no herd in the stalls : 

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my 
salvation. 

19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like 
hind's feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To 
the chief singer on my stringed instruments. 

JEREMIAH, XXVI. B. C. 609. 

Jeremiah exhorteth to repentance : he is apprehended, and arraign- 
ed : his apology : he is quit in judgment. 

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king 
of Judah, came this word from the Lord, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord ; Stand in the court of the Lord's house, 
and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the 
Lord's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto 
them ; diminish not a word : 

3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil 
way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto 
them, because of the evil of their doings. 

4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, If ye will 
not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before 
you, 



220 



Jeremiah. 



5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I 
gent unto yon, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have 
pot hearkened ; 

6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city 
a curse to all the nations of the earth. 

7 So the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, heard Jere- 
miah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 

8 If Now s it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of 
speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the 
people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, took 
him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. 

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, 
This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without 
an inhabitant: And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in 
the house of the Lord. 

10 IF When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they 
came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat 
down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house. 

11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes, and 
to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die ; for he hath 
prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. 

12 Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes, and to all the 
people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house, 
and against this city, all the words that ye have heard. 

13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the 
voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the 
evil that he hath pronounced against you. 

14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand : do with me as seemeth 
good and meet unto you : 

15 Eut know ye for certain, that, if ye put me to death, ye shall 
surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and 
upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me 
unto you. to speak all these words in your ears. 

16 If Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests, and 
to the prophets. This man is not worthy to die : for he hath spoken 
to us in the name of the Lord our God. 

IT Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all 
the assembly of the people, saying, 

IS Micafa the Morashite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king 
of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, savins;, Thus saith the 
Lord of hosts, Zion shall be plowed like a held, and Jerusalem shall 
become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a 
forest. 

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at ail to 
death ? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the 
Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against 
them ? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls. 

20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the 
Lord, Urijah, the son of Shemaiah of Kirjaih-jearim, who prophesied 
against this city, and against this land, according to all the words of 
Jeremiah : 

21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and 
all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death ; 



Jeremiah. 



221 



but when Urijah heard it he was afraid, and fled, and went into 
Egypt; 

22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt ; namely, 
Elnathan, the son of Aehbor, and certain men with him into 
Egypt : 

23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt; and brought him 
unto Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his 
dead body into the graves of the common people. 

24 Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, was 
with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the 
people to put him to death. 

JEREMIAH, V. B. C. 608. 

The judgments of God upon the Jews for their manifold corrup- 
tions. 

1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, 
and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, 
if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth ; and 
I will pardon it. 

2 And though they say, The Lord liveth ; surely they swear 
falsely. 

3 Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth ? thou hast stricken 
them, but they have not grieved ; thou hast consumed them, but they 
have refused to receive correction : they have made their faces 
harder than a rock ; they have refused to return, 

4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor ; they are foolish : for 
they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their 
God. 

5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them ; 
for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of 
their God : but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the 
bonds. 

6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of 
the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their 
cities : every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces ; 
because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are 
increased. 

7 TT How shall I pardon thee for this ? thy children have forsaken 
me, and sworn by them that are no gods : when I had fed them to 
the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by 
troops in the harlot's houses. 

8 They were as fed horses in the morning : every one neighed 
after his neighbor's wife. 

9 Shall I not visit for these things ? saith the Lord : and shall 
not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? 

10 IF Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy ; but make not a full 
end : take away her battlements ; for they are not the Lord's. 

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt 
very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. 

12 They have belyed the Lord, and said, It is not he, neither 
shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword nor famine ; 



222 



Jeremiah. 



13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in 
them : thus shall it be done unto them. 

14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak 
this word, behold, I will make my words-in thy mouth fire, and this 
people wood, and it shall devour them. 

15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of ^ 
Israel, saith the Lord : it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, 

a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest 
what they say. 

16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty 
men. 

17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy 
sons and thy daughters should eat : they shall eat up thy flocks and 
thine herds ; they shall eat up thy vi^es and thy fig-trees : they 
shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the 
sword. 

18 Nevertheless, in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a 
full end with you. 

19 H And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore 
doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us ? then shalt thou 
answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange 
gods in your land ; so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not 
yours. 

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, 
saying, 

21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding ; 
Which have eyes, and see not ; which have ears, and hear not : 

22 Fear ye not me ? saith the Lord : will ye not tremble at my 
presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a 
perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it ; and though the waves thereof 
'toss themselves, yet can they not prevail ; though they roar, yet can 
they not pass over it ? 

23 But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart ; they are 
revolted and gone. 

24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our 
God that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season : 
he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. 

25 IT Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins 
have withholden good things from you. 

26 For among my people are found wicked men : they lay wait as 
he that setteth snares ; they set a trap, they catch men. 

27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit : 
therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. . 

28 They are waxen fat, they shine ; yea, they overpass the deeds 
of the wicked : they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless 3 
yet they prosper ; and the right of the needy do they not judge. 

29 Shall I not visit for these things ? saith the Lord : shall not 
my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? 

30 IT A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land ; 

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their 
means ; and my people love to have it so : and what will ye do in the 
end thereof ? 



Jeremiah. 



223 



JEREMIAH, VI. 

The enemies sent against Judah encourage themselves : God 
setteth them on work because of their sins. 

1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the 
midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign 
of fire in Beth-haccerem : for evil appeareth out of the north, and 
great destruction. 

2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate 
woman. 

3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her ; they 
shall pitch their tents against her round about ; they shall feed every 
one in his place. 

4 Prepare ye war against her ; arise, and let us go up at noon, 
Woe unto us ! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening 
are stretched out. 

5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces. 

6 IT For thus hath the Lord of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and 
cast a mount against Jerusalem : this is the city to be visited ; she is 
wholly oppression in the midst of her. 

7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her 
wickedness : violence and spoil is heard in her ; before me continually 
is grief and wounds. 

8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee ; 
lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. 

9 U Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the 
remnant of Israel as a vine : turn back thine hand as a grape- gatherer 
into the baskets. 

10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear ? 
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken : behold^ 
the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach ; they have no delight 
in it. 

11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord : I am weary with 
holding in : I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the 
assembly of young men together ; for even the husband with the 
wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. 

12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields 
and wives together : for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhab- 
itants of the land, saith the Lord. 

13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them, 
every one is given to covetousness ; and from the prophet even unto 
the priest, every one dealeth falsely. 

14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people 
slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 

15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? 
nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore 
they shall fall among them that fall : at the time that I visit them 
they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 

16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and 
ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and 
ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk 
therein. 



224 



Jeremiah. 



17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound 
of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 

18 TF Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, congregation, what 
is among them. 

19 Hear, earth ; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even 
the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my 
words, nor to my law, but rejected it. 

20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and 
the sweet cane from a far country ? your burnt-offerings are not 
acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. 

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumbling- 
blocks before this people, and the fathers and sons together shall fall 
upon them ; the neighbor and his friend shall perish. 

22 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north 
country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the 
earth. 

23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear ; they are cruel, and 
have no mercy : their voice roareth like the sea ; and they ride 
upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, daughter of 
Zion. 

24 We have heard the fame thereof ; our hands wax feeble : 
anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain as of a woman in travail. 

25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way ; for the sword 
of the enemy and fear is on every side. 

26 IT daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and 
wallow thyself in ashes ; make thee mourning, as for an only son, 
most bitter lamentation : for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon 
us. 

27 I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, 
that thou mayest know and try their way. 

28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders : they 
are brass and iron ; they are all corrupters. 

29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire ; the 
founder melteth in vain : for the wicked are not plucked away. 

30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath 
rejected them. 

JEREMIAH, XEVI* 

1 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet 
against the Gentiles ; 

2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of 
Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which 
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoia- 
kim, the son of Josiah king of Judah. 

3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. 

4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth 
with your helmets ; furbish the spears, and put on the brigan- 
dines. 

5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed, and turned away back ? 
and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look 
not back : for fear was round about, saith the Lord. 



Jeremiah. Jehoiakim. Daniel. 223 



6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape ; they 
shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. 

7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved 
as the rivers ? 

S Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the 
rivers ; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth ; I will 
destroy the city, and the inhabitants thereof. 

9 Come up, ye horses ; and rage, ye chariots ; and let the mighty 
men come forth : the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the 
shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. 

10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, 
that he may avenge him of his adversaries : and the sword shall 
devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood ; for 
the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the 
river Euphrates. 

11 Go up into Gilead and take balm, irgin, the daughter of 
Egypt : in vain shalt thou use many medicines ; for thou shalt not be 
cured. 

12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled 
the land : for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and 
they are fallen both together. 

2 kings, xxiv. B. C. 607. 

1 In his [Jehoiakim's] days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon 
«ame up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years : 

DA.VIEL, I. 

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came 
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged 
it. 

2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with 
part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the 
land of Shinar, to the house of his god : and he brought the vessels 
into the treasure-house of his god. 

3 1T And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, 
that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's 
seed, and of the princes ; 

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and 
skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding 
science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, 
and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the 
Chaldeans. 

5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's 
meat, and of the wine which he drank ; so nourishing them three 
years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 

6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Han- 
aniah, Mishael, and Azariah ; 

7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names : for he 
gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar ; and to Hananiah, of 
Shadrach ; and to Mishael, of Meshach ; and to Azariah, of Abed- 
nego. 

19 



226 



Daniel. Jeremiah. 



8 It But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself 
with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he 
drank : therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he 
might not defile himself. 

9 Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with 
the prince of the eunuchs. 

10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord 
the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why 
should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are 
of your sort ? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the 
king. 

11 Then said Daniel to Meizar, whom the prince of the eunuchs 
had set over Daniel. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 

12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days ; and let them 
give us pulse to eat. and water to drink. 

13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee and the 
countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat ; 
and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 

14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten 
days. 

15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer 
and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of 
the king's meat. 

16 Thus Meizar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine 
that they should drink, and gave them pulse. 

17 IT As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and 
skill in all learning and wisdom : and Daniel had understanding in all 
visions and dreams. 

18 Now, at the end of the days that the king had said that he 
should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them 
in before Nebuchadnezzar. 

19 And the king communed with them ; and among them all was 
found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah : therefore 
stood they before the king. 

20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king 
inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magi- 
cians and astrologers that were in ail his realm. 

21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus. 

JEREMIAH, XXV. 

15 If For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, Take the 
wine-cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations to whom 
I send thee to drink it. 

16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of 
the sword that I will send among them. 

17 Then took 1 the cup at the Lord's hand, and made all the 
nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me : 

18 To ivit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings 
thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an 
astonishment, an hissing, and a curse ; (as it is this day ;) 

19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and 
all his people ; 



Jeremiah. 



227 



20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, 
and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and 
Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 

21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, 

22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the 
kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, 

23 Dedan, and Tenia, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost 
corners, 

24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled 
people that dwell in the desert, 

25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all 
the kings of the Medes, 

26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, 
and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the 
earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. 

27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of 
hosts, the God of Israel ; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and 
fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among 
you. 

28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to 
drink, then shalt thou say unto them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; 
Ye shall certainly drink. 

29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my 
name, and should ye be utterly unpunished ? Ye shall not be unpun- 
ished : for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the 
earth, saith the Lord of hosts. 

30 Therefore prophesy thou against them ail these words, and say 
unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice 
from his holy habitation ; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation, 
he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the 
inhabitants of the earth. 

31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth ; for the Lord 
hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh : he 
will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. 

32 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from 
nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the 
coast of the earth. 

- 33 And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of 
the earth, even unto the other end of the earth : they shall not be 
lamented, neither gathered, nor buried ; they shall be dung upon the 
ground. 

34 IT Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the 
ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of 
your dispersions are accomplished ; and ye shall fall like a pleasant 
vessel. 

35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor tHe principal 
of the flock to escape. 

36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the 
principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the Lord hath spoiled their 
pasture. 

37 And the peaceful habitations are cut down because of the fierce 
anger of the Lord. 

38 He hath forsaken his covert as the lion : for their land is deso- 



228 



Jeremiah. 



late, because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his 
fierce anger. 

JEREMIAH, XXXT. 

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the 
days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 

2 Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and 
bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and 
give them wine to drink. 

3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazi- 
niah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the 
Rechabites ; 

4 And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the 
chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, 
which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the 
chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: 

5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots 
full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. 

6 But they said, We will drink no wine : for Jonadab the son of 
Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, 
neither ye, nor your sons for ever : 

7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, 
nor have any : but all your days ye shall dwell in tents ; that ye may 
live many days in the land where ye be strangers. 

8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab 
our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our 
daj's, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters ; 

9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in : neither have we vine- 
yard, nor field, nor seed : 

10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done accord- 
ing to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 

11 But it came to pass, w T hen Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon 
came up into the land, that we said. Come, and let us go to Jerusa- 
lem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of 
the Syrians : so we dwell at Jerusalem. 

12 17 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 

13 Thus saith the Lore?' of hosts, the God of Israel ; Go and tell 
the men of Judah and -the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not 
receive instruction to hearken to my words ? saith the Lord. 

14 The wprds of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded 
his sons net tto drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they 
drink none, but obey their father's commandment : notwithstanding I 
ha^e spoken i^ito you, rising early and speaking : but ye hearkened 
not unto me. 

15 I ha/e sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising 
up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from 
his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to 
serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you 
and to your fathers : but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened 
unto me. 

16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed 



Jeremiah. 



229 



the Commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but 
this people hath not hearkened unto me : 

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel ; 
Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem all the evil that I have pronounced against them : because I 
have spoken unto them, but they have not heard ; and I have called 
unto them, but they have not answered. 

18 IT And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus 
saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Because ye have obeyed 
the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts s 
and done according unto all that he hath commanded you ; 

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jon- 
adab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me for 
ever. 

JEREMIAH, XLV, 

Baruch being dismayed, Jeremiah instructeth and comfort eth 

him. 

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch, the son 
of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth 
of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king 
of Judah, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, Baruch; 

3 Thou didst say, Woe is me now ! for the Lord hath added grief 
to my sorrow ; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. 

4 IT Thus shalt thou say unto him. The Lord saith thus, Behold, 
that which I built will I break down, and that which I have planted 
I will pluck up, even this whole land. 

5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, 
behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord ; but thy 
life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou 
goest. 

JEREMIAH, XLVIIe 

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against 
the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza. 

2 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, waters rise up out of the north, 
and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all 
that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein : then the men 
shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl. 

3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at 
the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, 
the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of 
hands ; 

4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil ail the Philistines, and 
to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth ; for 
the Lord will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of 
Caphtor. 

5 Baldness is come upon Gaza ; Ashkelon is cut off with the rem- 
nant of their valley : how long wilt thou cut thyself ? 

19* 



230 



Jeremiah, 



6 O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be eve thon be 
quiet ? Put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. 

7 How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge 
against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore ? there hath he appointed 
it. 

JEREMIAH, XXXVI. 

Baruch writeth Jeremiah's prophecy. 

1 And it came to pass, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of 
Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the 
Lord, saying, 

2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I 
have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all 
the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, 
even unto this day. 

3 it may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I 
purpose to do unto them ; that they may return every man from his 
evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. 

4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch, the son of Neriah : and Baruch 
wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which 
he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. 

5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up ; I 
cannot go into the house of the Lord : 

6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written 
from my mouth, the words of the Lord, in the ears of the people, in 
the Lord's house upon the fasting-day : and also thou shalt read 
them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. 

7 It may be they will present thek supplication before the Lord, 
and will return every one from his evil way : for great is the anger 
and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people. 

8 And Baruch, the son of Neriah, did according to all that Jere- 
miah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of 
the Lord in the Lord's house. 

B. C. 606. JEREMIAH, VII. 

Jeremiah is sent to call for true repentance : he rejecteth their vain 
confidence. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 

2 Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this 
word and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter 
in at these gates to worship the Lord. 

3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your 
ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 

4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, 
the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these. 

5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings ; if ye 
throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; 

6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, 
and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other 
gods to your hurt : 



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231 



7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I 
gave to your fathers, for ever and ever, 

8 r Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 

9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, aod swear falsely, 
and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know 
not ; 

10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called 
by my name, and say. We are delivered to do all these abomina- 
tions r 

11 Is this house which is called by my name, become a den of 
robbers in your eyes ? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. 

12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I 
set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness 
of my people Israel. 

13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the 
Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye 
heard not ; and I called you, but ye answered not : 

14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my 
name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and 
to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 

15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your 
brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. 

16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor 
prayer for them, neither make intercession to me : for I will not hear 
thee. 

17 IT Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah, and in the 
streets of Jerusalem ? 

18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and 
the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, 
and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke 
me to anger. 

19 Do they provoke me to anger ? saith the Lord: do they not 
provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 

20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, mine anger and 
my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon 
beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the 
ground ; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. 

21 IT Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel : Put your 
burnt-offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 

22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the 
day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt- 
offerings or sacrifices : 

23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and 
I will be your God, and ye shall be my people : and walk ye in all 
the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 

24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in 
the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went 
backward, and not forward. 

25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of 
Egypt, unto this day, I have even sent unto you all my servants the 
prophets, daily rising up early and sending them : 

26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but 
hardened their neck : they did worse than their fathers. 



232 



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27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them: but they 
will not hearken to thee : thou shalt also call unto them \ but they 
will not answer thee. 

28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not 
the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction : truth is 
perished, and is cut off from their mouth. 

29 $ Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take 
up a lamentation on high places ; for the Lord hath rejected and 
forsaken the generation of his wrath. 

30 For the children of Judah hare done evil in my sight, saith the 
Lord : they have set their abominations in the house which is called 
by my name, to pollute it. 

31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the 
valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters 
in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my 
heart. 

32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it 
shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, 
but the valley of slaughter : for they shall bury in Tophet, till there 
be no place. 

33 And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of 
the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them 

away. 

34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from 
the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of glad- 
ness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride : for the 
land shall be desolate. 

JEREMIAH, VIII. 

The Jews 9 calamity : their bnpenitency upbraided : their judgment 
shewed: their desperate estate bewailed. 

1 At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of 
the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of 
the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves : 

2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and 
all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have 
served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have 
sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, 
nor be buried ; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. 

3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of 
them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places 
whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts. 

4 IT Moreover, thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord ; 
Shall they fall, and net arise ? Snail he turn away, and not 
return r 

5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual 
backsliding ? They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. 

6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright : no man 
repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done ? Even- 
one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. 

7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and 



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233 



the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their 
coming ; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. 

8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with 
us ? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in 
vain. 

9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken : lo, 
they have rejected the word of the Lord ; and w T hat wisdom is in 
them ? 

10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields 
to them that shall inherit them : for every one from the least even 
unto the greatest is given to covetousness ; from the prophet even 
unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 

11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people 
slightly, saying, Peace, peace ; when there is no peace. 

12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? 
Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush : there- 
fore shall they fall among them that fall : in the time of their 
visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 

13 IT 1 will surely consume them, saith the Lord : there shall be 
no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade; 
and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. 

14 Why do we sit still ? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter 
into the -defeneed cities, and let us be silent there : for the Lord our 
God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, 
because we have sinned against the Lord. 

15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of 
health, and behold trouble ! 

16 The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan : the whole 
land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones ; for 
they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the 
city, and those that dwell therein. 

17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, 
which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the 
Lord. 

18 IF When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is 
faint in me. 

19 Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people, 
because of them that dwell in a far country : Is not the Lord in 
Zion ? Is not her king in her ? Why have they provoked me to 
anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities ? 

20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not 
saved. 

21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt ; I am 
black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. 

22 Is there no balm in Gilead ? Is there no physician there ? 
Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recov- 
ered ? 

JEREMIAH, IX. 

The Jews lamented for their manifold sins, and judgments. Dis- 
obedience is the cause of their calamity. 
1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, 



234 



Jeremiah. 



that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my 
people ! 

2 Oh that 1 had in the wilderness a lodging place of way-faring 
men ; that I might leave my people, and go from them ! for they be 
all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 

3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they 
are not valiant for the truth upon the earth : for they proceed from 
evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. 

4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any 
brother : for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor 
will walk with slanders. 

5 And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not 
speak the truth : they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and 
weary themselves to commit iniquity. 

6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they 
refuse to know me, saith the Lord. 

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt 
them, and try them ; for how shall I do for the daughter of my 
people ? 

8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out ; it speaketh deceit : one 
speaketh peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he 
layeth his wait. 

9 T\ Shall I not visit them for these things ? saith the Lord : Shall 
not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? 

10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and 
for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are 
burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men 
hear the voice of the cattle ; both the fowl of the heavens and the 
beast are fled ; they are gone. 

11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps," and a den of dragons ; and 
I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. 

12 % Who is the wise man that may understand this ? and ivho is 
he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare 
it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, 
that none passeth through I 

13 And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law 
which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither 
walked therein ; 

14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and 
after Baalim, which their fathers taught them : 

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; 
Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give 
them water of gall to drink. 

16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they 
nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, 
till I have consumed them. 

17 IT Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the 
mourning women, that they may come ; and send for cunning 
women, that they may come : 

18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that 
our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with 
waters. 

19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we 



Jeremiah. 



235 



spoiled ! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the 
land, because our dwellings have cast us out. 

20 Yet hear the word of the Lord. ye women, and let your ear 
receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing 
and every one her neighbor lamentation : 

21 For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our 
palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men 
from the streets. 

22 Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcasses of men shall 
fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvest- 
man, and none shall gather them. 

23 Ti Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his 
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the 
rich man glory in his riches : 

24 But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth 
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, 
judgment and righteousness, in the earth : for in these things I 
delight, saith the Lord. 

25 IT Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all 
them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised ; 

26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Amnion, and 
Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the 
wilderness : for all these nations are uncircumcised. and all the house 
of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. 

JEREMIAH, X. 

The unequal comparison of God and idols. The spoil of the 
tabernacle by foolish pastors. 

1 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house 
of Israel : 

2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be 
not dismayed at the signs of heaven ; for the heathen are dismayed 
at them. 

3 For the customs of the people are vain : for one cutteth a tree 
out of the forest (the work of the hands of the workman) with the 
axe : 

4 Thej 7 deck it with silver and with gold ; they fasten it with nails 
and with hammers, that it move not. 

5 They are upright as the palm-tree, but speak not ; they must 
needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them ; for 
they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 

6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, Lord ; thou aft 
great, and thy name is great in might. 

7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations ? for to thee doth it 
appertain : forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and 
in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. 

8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish ; the stock is a 
doctrine of vanities. 

9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from 
Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder : 
blue and purple is their clothing ; they are all the work of cunning 
men . 



236 



Jeremiah. 



10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God } and an 
everlasting King : at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the 
nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. 

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the 
heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and 
from under these heavens. 

12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the 
world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his 
discretion. 

13 When he uttereth his voice there is a multitude of waters in 
the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of 
the earth ; he raaketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the 
wind out of his treasures. 

14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge; every founder is 
confounded by the graven image : for his molten image is falsehood, 
and there is no breath in them. 

15 They are vanity, and the work of errors : in the time of their 
visitation they shall perish. 

16 The portion of Jacob is not like them : for he is the former of 
all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance : The Lord of 
hosts is his name. 

17 ft Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the 
fortress : 

18 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabi- 
tants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may 
find it so. 

19 ft Woe is me for my hurt ! my wound is grievous : but I said, 
Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it. 

20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken : my 
children are gone forth of me, and they are not ; there is none to 
stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains. 

21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the 
Lord : therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be 
scattered. 

22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion 
out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a 
den of dragons. 

23 ft Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself : it is 
not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 

24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, 
lest thou bring me to nothing. 

25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and 
upon the families that call not on thy name : for they have eaten up 
Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his 
habitation desolate. 

JEREMIAH, XI. 

Jeremiah proclaimeth God's covenant, rebuketh the disobedient 
Jews : he prophesieth evils to come upon them. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 

2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of 
Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; 



Jeremiah. 



237 



-3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Loud God of Israel ; 
Cursed be the man thatobeyeth not the words of this covenant, 

4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them 
forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey 
my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you : so 
shall ye be my people, and I will be your God ; 

5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your 
fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this 
day, Then answered I and said, So be it, Lord, 

6 Then the Lord said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the 
cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the 
words of this covenant, and do them. 

7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers, in the day that I 
brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising 
early and protesting^ saying. Obey my voice. 

8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every 
one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon 
them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do ; 
but they did them not. 

9 And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the 
men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, 
which refused to hear my words : and they went after other gods to 
serve them : the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken 
my covenant, which I made with their fathers. 

11 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon 
them, which they shall not be able to escape ; and though they shall 
cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. 

12 Then shall the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
go and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense : but they 
shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 

13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O 
Judah ; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem 
have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn 
incense unto Baal. 

14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry 
or prayer for them : for I will not hear them in the time that they 
cry unto me for their trouble. 

15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath 
wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee ? 
when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. 

16 The Lord called thy name, A green olive-tree, fair, and of 
goodly fruit : with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire 
upon it, and the branches of it are broken. 

17 For the Lord of hosts that planted thee hath pronounced evil 
against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel, and of the house of 
Judah, which they have done against themselves, to provoke me to 
anger, in offering incense unto Baal. 

13 And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know 
it: then thou shewedst me their doings. 

19 But I was like a lamb, or an ox, that is brought to the slaugh- 
ter ; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, 
Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off 

20 



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Jeremiah, 



from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remem- 
bered. 

20 But, Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the 
reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them ; for unto 
thee have I revealed my cause. 

21 Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that 
seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that 
thou die not by our hand : 

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish 
them ; the young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their 
daughters shall die by famine ; 

23 And there shall be no remnant of them : for I will bring evil 
upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation. 

JEREMIAH, XII. 

Jeremiah, complaining of the wicked's prosperity, by faith seeth 
their ruin, GooVs promise to the penitent, 

1 Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee ; yet let 
me talk with thee of thy judgments : Wherefore doth the way of the 
wicked prosper ? wherefore are all they happy that deal very 
treacherously ? 

2 Thou hast planted them ; yea, they have taken root : they grow ; 
yea, they bring forth fruit : thou art near in their mouth, and far 
from their reins. 

3 But thou. Lord, knowest me : thou hast seen me, and tried 
mine heart toward thee : pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, 
and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 

4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field 
wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein ? The beasts 
are consumed, and the birds ; because they said, He shall not see 
our last end. 

5 IT If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied 
thee, then how canst thou contend with horses ? and ifm the land of 
peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou 
do in the swelling of Jordan? 

6 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they 
have dealt treacherously with thee ; yea, they have called a multi- 
tude after thee : believe them not, though they speak fair words unto 
thee. 

7 If I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage : I have 
given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 

8 Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest ; it crieth out 
against me : therefore have I hated it. 

9 Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round 
about are against her ; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, 
come to devour. 

10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden 
my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate 
wilderness. 

11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth 
unto me ; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it 
to heart. 



Jeremiah. 



239 



12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilder- 
ness : for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of 
the land even to the other end of the land : no flesh shall have 
peace. 

13 They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns : they have put 
themselves to pain, but shall not profit ; and they shall be ashamed of 
your revenues, because of the fierce anger of the Lord. 

14 IT Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbors, that touch 
the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit ; 
Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house 
of Judah from among them. 

15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out, I 
will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, 
every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. 

16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways 
of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth ; as they 
taught my people to swear by Baal ; then shall they be built in the 
midst of my people. 

17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy 
that nation, saith the Lord. 

JEREMIAH, XIII. 

By the type of a linen girdle, the people's destruction is prefigured. 
By the bottles filled with wine, their drunkenness in misery is 
foretold. 

1 Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, 
and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 

2 So I got a girdle, according to the word of the Lord, and put it 
on my loins. 

3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, 
saying, 

4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and 
arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 

5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 

6 And it came to pass after many days,, that the Lord said unto 
me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which 
I commanded thee to hide there. 

7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from 
the place where I had hid it ; and, behold, the girdle was marred, it 
was profitable for nothing. 

8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of 
Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. 

10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk 
in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve 
them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is 
good for nothing. 

11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I 
caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel, and the whole 
house of Judah, saith the Lord ; that they might be unto me for a 
people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory : but they 
would not hear, 



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Jeremiah. 



12 IT Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word, Thus saith 
the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine ; and 
they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle 
shall be filled with wine ? 

13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, 
I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon 
David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. 

14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and 
the sons together, saith the Lord ; I will not pity, nor spare, nor 
have mercj', but destroy them. 

15 TI Hear ye, and give ear ; be not proud : for the Lord hath 
spoken. 

16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness,, 
and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye 
look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross 
darkness. 

17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places 
for your pride ; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with 
tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive. 

18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit 
down ; for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of 
your glory. 

19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open 
them : Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be 
wholly carried away captive. 

20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north : 
where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock ? 

21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee ? For thou hast 
taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee : shall not sorrows 
take thee, as a woman in travail ? 

22 IT And if thou say in thine heart, "Wherefore come these things 
upon me ? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discov- 
ered, and thy heels made bare. 

23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? 
then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. 

24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away 
by the wind of the wilderness. 

25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the 
Lord ; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood. 

26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy 
shame may appear. 

27 I have seen thine adulteries and thy neighings, the lewdness of 
thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. 
Woe unto thee, Jerusalem ! wilt thou not be made clean ? when 
shall it once be? 

JEREMIAH, XIV. 

The grievous famine, causeth Jeremiah to pray. The Lord will 
not be entreated. Lying prophets are no excuse. 
1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the 
dearth. 



Jeremiah. 



241 



2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish ; they are black 
unto the ground ; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 

3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters : they 
came to the pits, and found no water ; they returned with their 
vessels empty ; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered 
their heads. 

4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, 
the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. 

5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because 
there was no grass. 

6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up 
the wind like dragons ; their eyes did fail, because there was no 
grass. 

7 IT Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for 
thy name's sake : for our backslidings are many ; we have sinned 
against thee. 

8 the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why 
shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man 
that turneth aside to tarry for a night ? 

9 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that 
cannot save ? Yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are 
called by thy name ; leave us not. 

10 IT Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved 
to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord 
doth not accept them ; he will now remember their iniquity, and 
visit their sins. 

11 Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their 
good. 

12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry ; and when they offer 
burnt-offering and an oblation, I will not accept them : but I will 
consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pesti- 
lence. 

13 U Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, the prophets say unto 
them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine : but 
I will give you assured peace in this place. 

14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in 
my name ; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither 
spake unto them : they prophesy unto you a false vision and divina- 
tion, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. 

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that 
prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and 
famine shall not be in this land ; By sword and famine shall those 
prophets be consumed. 

16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the 
streets of Jerusalem, because of the famine and the sword ; and they 
shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor 
their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. 

17 IT Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes 
run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease : for the 
virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a 
very grievous blow. 

18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! 
and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with 

20 * 



242 



Jeremiah, 



famine ! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land 
that they know not. 

19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah ? hath thy soul loathed Zion? 
why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us ? we looked 
for peace, and there is no good ; and for the time of healing, and 
behold trouble ! 

20 We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of 
our fathers ; for we have sinned against thee. 

21 Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake ; do not disgrace the 
throne of thy glory : remember, break not thy covenant with us. 

22 Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause 
rain ? or can the heavens give showers ? Art not thou he, O Lord 
our God ? therefore we will wait upon thee ; for thou hast made all 
these things. 

JEREMIAH, XV. 

The utter rejection, and manifold judgments, of the Jews. Jere- 
miah, complaining, receiveth a gracious promise. 

1 Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood 
before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people : cast them 
out of my sight, and let them go forth. 

2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall 
we go forth ? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord, Such 
as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the 
sword, and such as are for the famine, to the famine, and such as are 
for the captivity, to the captivity. 

3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord, the 
sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and 
the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. 

4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the 
earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for 
that which he did in Jerusalem. 

5 But who shall have pity upon thee, Jerusalem ? or who shall 
bemoan thee ? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest ? 

6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: 
therefore will I stretch out mine hand against thee, and destroy thee, 
I am weary with repenting. 

7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land: I will 
bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return 
not from their ways. 

8 Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas : 
I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a 
spoiler at noonday : I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and 
terrors upon the city. 

9 She that hath borne seven languisheth : she hath given up the 
ghost ; her sun is gone down while it was yet day : she hath been 
ashamed and confounded : and the residue of them will I deliver to 
the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord. 

10 f Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of 
strife and a man of contention to the whole earth ! I have neither 
lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury ; yet every one of 
them doth curse me. 



Jeremiah, 



243 



11 The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant : 
verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil, 
and in the time of affliction. 

12 Shall iron break the northern iron, and the steel ? 

13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without 
price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 

14 And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land 
which thou knowest not : for a fire is kindled in mine anger, ivhich 
shall burn upon you. 

15 r Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and 
revenge me of my persecutors ; take me not away in thy long- 
suffering : know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. 

16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them : and thy word was 
unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart : for I am called by thy 
name, Lord God of hosts. 

17 1 sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced ; I sat 
alone, because of thy hand : for thou hast filled me with indigna- 
tion. 

IS Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which 
refuseth to be healed ? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and 
as waters that fail ? 

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I 
bring thee asrain, and thou shalt stand before me : and if thou take 
forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt he as my mouth : let them 
return unto thee ; but return not thou unto them. 

20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen wall : 
and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against 
thee : for I am with Fhee to save thee, and to deliver thee, saith the 
Lord. 

21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will 
redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible. 

JEREMIAH. XXXVI. 

9 And it came to pass, in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of 
Josiah kins: of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast 
before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people 
that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. 

10 Then read Earuch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the 
house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan 
the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the 
Lord's house, in the ears of all the people. 

11 If When Michaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. 
had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord, 

12 Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's 
chamber, and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, 
and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, 
and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, 
and all the princes. 

13 Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had 
heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. 

14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the 
son of Shelamiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in 



244 



Jeremiah. 



thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people 
and come. So Baruch, the son of Neriah, took the roll in his hand,, 
and came unto them. 

15 And they said unto him, Sit down now and read it in our ears. 
So Baruch read it in their ears. 

16 Now it came to pass, w T hen they had heard all the words, they 
were afraid, both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely 
tell the king of all these words. 

17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou 
write all these words at his mouth ? 

18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words 
unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. 

19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and 
Jeremiah ; and let no man know where ye be. 

20 IT And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up 
the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words 
in the ears of the king. 

21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll : and he took it out 
of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of 
the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the 
king. 

22 Now the king sat in the winter-house in the ninth month : and 
there was afire on the hearth burning before him. 

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four 
leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that ivas 
on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on 
the hearth. 

24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the 
king nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 

25 Nevertheless, Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made 
intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll : but he would 
not hear them. 

26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and 
Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take 
Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet ; but the Lord hid 
them. 

27 IT Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the 
king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the 
mouth of Jeremiah, saying, 

28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former 
words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah hath 
burned. 

29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the 
Lord ; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written 
therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and 
destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and 
beast ? 

30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah ; 
He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead 
body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the 
frost. 

31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their 
iniquity ; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of 



Jeremiah, 



245 



Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pro- 
nounced against them ; but they hearkened not. 

32 "7 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the 
scribe, the son of Neriah ; who wrote therein from the mouth of 
Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah 
had burned in the tire : and there were added besides unto them 
many like words. 

JEREMIAH, XXV. 

Jeremiah, reproving the Jews' disobedience to the prophets, fore- 
telleth the seventy years captivity, and after that, the destruction 
of Babylon. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of 
Judah. in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of 
Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; 

2 The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of 
Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 

3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon king of 
Judah, even unto this day, (that is the three and twentieth year,) 
the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto 
you, rising early and speaking ; but ye have not hearkened. 

4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, 
rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor 
inclined your ear to hear. 

5 They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and 
from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord 
hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever : 

6 And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, 
and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands, and I 
will do you no hurt. 

7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord ; that ye 
might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own 
hurt. 

8 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not 
heard my words, 

9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith 
the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and 
will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, 
and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy 
them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual 
desolations. 

10 Moreover, I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the 
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the 
bride, the sound of the mill-stones, and the lischt of the candle. 

11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonish- 
ment ; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy 
years. 

12 f And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accom- 
plished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith 
the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will 
make it perpetual desolations. 

13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have 



246 



Jeremiah, 



pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which 
Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. 

14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of 
them also : and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and 
according to the works of their own hands. 

B. C. 605. JEREMIAH, XVI. 

The utter ruin of the Jews for eshewn : their return from captivity 
stranger than their deliverance out of Egypt. 

1 The word of the Lord came also unto me, saying, 

2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or 
daughters in this place. 

3 For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the 
daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers 
that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this 
land ; 

4 They shall die of grievous deaths : they shall not be lamented, 
neither shall they be buried ; hut they shall be as dung upon the 
face of the earth : and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by 
famine ; and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, 
and for the beasts of the earth. 

5 For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, 
neither go to lament nor bemoan them : for I have taken away my 
peace from this people, saith the Lord, even loving-kindness and 
mercies. 

6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land : they shall not 
be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor 
make themselves bald for them : 

7 Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to 
comfort them for the dead ; neither shall men give them the cup of 
consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. 

8 Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them 
to eat and to drink. 

9 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; Behold, I 
will cause to cease out of this place in } r our eyes, and in your 
days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the 
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. 

10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people 
all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hafch the 
Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our 
iniquity, or what is our sin, that we have committed against the Lord 
our God ? 

11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have for- 
saken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and 
have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, 
and have not kept my law : 

12 And ye have done worse than your fathers ; (for, behold, ye 
walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may 
not hearken unto me ;) 

13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye 
know not, neither ye nor your fathers ; and there shall ye serve 
other gods day and night, where I will not shew you favor. 



Jeremiah. 



247 



14 1T Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it 
shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the children 
of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; 

15 But the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from 
the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven 
them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto 
their fathers. 

16 IT Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they 
shall fish them ; and after will I send for many hunters, and they 
shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out 
of the holes of the rocks. 

17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways : they are not hid from 
my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. 

18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double ; 
because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance 
with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things. 

19 Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the 
day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of 
the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, 
and things wherein there is no profit. 

20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods ? 

21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will 
cause them to know mine hand and my might ; and they shall know 
that my name is The Lord. 

JEREMIAH, XVII. 

The captivity of Judah for sin. Trust in man is cursed, in God 
is blessed. The deceitful heart cannot deceive God. The salva- 
tion of God. 

1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the 
point of a diamond : it is graven upon the table of their heart, and 
upon the horns of your altars ; 

2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by 
the green trees upon the high hills. 

3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all 
thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all 
thy borders. 

4 And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage 
that I gave thee ; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the 
land that thou knowest not ; for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, 
which shall burn for ever. 

5 IT Thus saith the Lord ; Cursed be the man that trusteth in 
man, and rnaketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the 
Lord. 

6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see 
when good cometh ; but shall inhabit the parched places in the 
wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 

7 IT Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope 
the Lord is. 

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that 
spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat 



248 



Jeremiah, 



cometh, but her leaf shall be green ; and shall not be careful in the 
year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 

9 IT The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ; 
"who can know it ? 

10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give 
every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his 
doings. 

11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he 
that getteth riches and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of 
his days, and at his end shall be a fool. 

12 ^\ A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our 
sanctuary. 

13 Lord, the Hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be 
ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the 
earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living 
waters. 

14 Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall 
be saved : for thou art my praise. 

15 V Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord ? 
Let it come now. 

16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow 
thee, neither have I desired the woeful day thou knowest : that which 
came out of my lips was right before thee. 

17 Be not a terror unto me : thou art my hope in the day of 
evil. 

18 Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be 
confounded : let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed : 
bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double 
destruction. 

19 IT Thus said the Lord unto me ; Go and stand in the gate of 
the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, 
and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem ; 

20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of 
Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter 
in by these gates : 

21 Thus saith the Lord ; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no 
burden on the sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jeru- 
salem ; 

22 Xeither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath- 
day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath-day, as I 
commanded your fathers. 

23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made 
their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 

24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, 
saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city 
on the sabbath-day, but hallow the sabbath-day to do no work 
therein ; 

25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and 
princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on 
horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants 
of Jerusalem : and this city shall remain for ever. 

26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the 
places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the 



Jeremiah. 



249 



plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt- 
offerings, and sacrifices, and meat-offerings, and incense, and bringing 
sacrifices of praise unto the house of the Lord. 

27 * But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath-day, 
and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem 
on the sabbath-day ; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, 
and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be 
quenched. 

JEREMIAH, XLVIII. 

11 H Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled 
Gn his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither 
hath he gone into captivity : therefore his taste remained in him, and 
his scent is not changed. 

12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will 
send unto him wanderers that shall cause him to wander, and shall 
empty his vessels, and break their bottles. 

13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel 
was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence. 

14 IT How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war ? 

15 Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen 
young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the king, whose 
name is the Lord of hosts. 

16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth 
fast. 

17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him ; and all ye that know 
his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful 
rod ! 

18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy 
glory, and sit in thirst ; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, 
and he shall destroy thy strong holds. 

19 inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy ; ask him 
that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done ? 

20 Moab is confounded ; for it is broken down : howl and cry ; tell 
ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled, 

21 And judgment is come upon the plain country ; upon Holon, 
and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath, 

22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, 

23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Beth- 
meon, 

24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of 
the land of Moab, far or near. 

25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the 
Lord. * 

26 *~ Make ye him drunken : for he magnified himself against the 
Lord : Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in 
derision. 

27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee ? was he found among 
thieves ? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy. 

28 ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the 



* See 2 Chronicles, xxxvi. 16—21. 

21 



250 



Jeremiah. 



rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the 
hole's mouth. 

29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud,) his 
loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his 
heart. 

30 I know his wrath, saith the Lord ; but it shall not be so : Iris- 
hes shall not so effect it. 

31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all 
Moab ; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres. 

32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of 
Jazer : thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even* to the^sea 
of Jazer : the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and^uponjthy 
vintage. 

33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from 
the land of Moab ; and I have caused wine to fail from the wine- 
presses : none shall tread with shouting ; their shouting shall he no 
shouting. 

34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto 
Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, 
as an heifer of three years old : for the waters also of Nimrim shall 
be desolate. 

35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him 
that offered! in the high places, and him that burnetii incense to his 
gods. 

36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine 
heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres : because the 
riches that he hath gotten are perished. 

37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped : upon 
all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. 

38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the house-tops of 
Moab, and in the streets thereof, for I have broken Moab like a vessel 
wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord. 

39 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down ! how hath 
Moab turned the back with shame ! so shall Moab be a derision and 
a dismaying to all them about him. 

40 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and 
shall spread his wings over Moab. 

41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the 
mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a 
woman in her pangs. 

42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he 
hath magnified himself against the Lord. 

43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhab- 
itant of Moab, saith the Lord. 

44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit ; and he that 
getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare : for 1 will bring 
upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the 
Lord. 

45 They that fled stood upon the shadow of Heshbon, because of 
the force : but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame 
from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the 
crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. 



Jeremiah. Jehoiakim. Daniel. 



251 



46 Woe be unto thee. Moab ! the people of Chernoshperisheth : 
for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives. 

47 % Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter 
days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. 

2 eims, xxiv.- B. C. 603. 

1 Then Jehoiakim turned and rebelled against him, [Nebuchad- 
nezzar.] 

2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands 
of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children 
of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to 
the word of the Lord, "which he spake by his servants the 
prophets. 

3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, 
to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according 
to all that he did : 

4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled 
Jerusalem with innocent blood,) which the Lord would not 
pardon. 

DAXIEL, II. 

JVebuchadnezzar forgetteth his dream: Daniel findeih it. The 
dream, and interpretation thereof. 

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebu- 
chadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and 
his sleep brake from him. 

2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrolo- 
gers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his 
dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 

3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my 
spirit was troubled to know the dream. 

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, king, live 
for ever : tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the inter- 
pretation. 

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone 
from me : if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the 
interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall 
be made a dung-hill : 

6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye 
shall receive of me gifts, and rewards, and great honor : therefore 
shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 

7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the 
dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would 
gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 

9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but 
one decree for you : for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to 
speak before me till the time be changed : therefore tell me the 
dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation 
thereof. 

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said. There is 



252 



Daniel. 



not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter : therefore 
there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magi- 
cian, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none 
other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwel- 
ling is not with flesh. 

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and com- 
manded to destroy all the wise 'men of Babylon. 

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain ; 
and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 

14 TT Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch 
the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the 
wise men of Babylon : 

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the 
decree so hasty from the king ? Then Arioch made the thing known 
to Daniel. 

18 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would 
give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpreta- 
tion. 

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to 
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah his companions : 

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven con- 
cerning this secret ; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish 
with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 

19 if Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. 
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever 
and ever : for wisdom and might are his : 

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons : he removeth kings, 
and setteth up kings : he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and know- 
ledge to them that know understanding : 

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things : he knoweth what is 
in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, thou God of my fathers, who 
hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me 
now what we desired of thee : for thou hast now made known unto 
us the king's matter. 

24 T\ Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had 
ordained to destroj* the wise men of Babylon : he went and said 
thus unto him ; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon : bring me in 
before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and 
said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that 
will make known unto the king the interpretation. 

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belte- 
shazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I 
have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The 
secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the 
astrologers, the magicians, the sooth-sayers shew unto the king : 

28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh 
known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. 
Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these : 



Daniel. 



•253 



29 As for thee, king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy 
bed, what should come to pass hereafter ; and he that revealeth 
secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wis- 
dom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that 
shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou 
mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 

31 IT Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great 
image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee ; and the 
form thereof teas terrible. 

32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of 
silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. 

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which 
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake 
them to pieces. 

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, 
broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer 
threshing-floors ; and the wind carried them away, that no place was 
found for them : and the stone that smote the image became a great 
mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

36 % This is the dream ; and we will tell the interpretation thereof 
before the king. 

37 Thou, king, art a king of kings : for the God of heaven hath 
given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 

33 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the 
field, and the fowls of heaven hath he given into thine hand, and 
hath made thee ruler over them all : thou art this head of gold. 

39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and 
another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the 
earth. 

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron : forasmuch as 
iron breaketh in pieces, and subdueth all things : and as iron that 
breaketh all these shall it break in pieces, and bruise. 

41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, 
and part of iron: the kingdom shall be divided, but there shall be in it 
the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed 
with miry clay. 

42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay • 
so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 

i 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixt with miry clay, they shall 
mingle themselves with the seed of men : but they shall not cleave 
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a 
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not 
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the 
mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the 
brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold ; the great God hath made 
known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter : and the dream 
is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 

46 H Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and wot-, 

21 * 



254 



Daniel. Jeremiah. 



shipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation* 
and sweet odors unto him. 

47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that 
your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of 
secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. 

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many 
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, 
and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: 
but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. 

B. C. 600. JEREMIAH, XVIII. 

Under the type of a potter, God sheiveth his absolute power in dis- 
posing of nations. Judgments threatened to Judah. 

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause 
thee to hear my words. 

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought 
a work on the wheels. 

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of 
the potter ; so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the 
potter to make it. 

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter ? saith the 
Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine 
hand, house of Israel. 

7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and con- 
cerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy 
it ; 

8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from 
their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto 
them. 

9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and con- 
cerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it. 

10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will 
repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. 

11 TF Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I 
frame evil against you, and devise a device against you : return ye 
now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your 
doings good. 

12 And they said, There is no hope ; but we will walk after our 
own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil 
heart. 

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Ask ye now among the 
heathen, who hath heard such things : the virgin of Israel hath done 
a very horrible thing. 

14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which Cometh from the 
rock of the field ? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from 
another place be forsaken? 

15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned 



Jeremiah. 



255 



iacense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their 
ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast 
up; 

16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing : every 
one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 

17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy ; I 
will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their 
calamity. 

13 Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jere- 
miah ; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from 
the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite 
him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. 

19 Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of them that 
contend with me. 

20 Shall evil be recompensed for good ? for they have digged a pit 
for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for 
them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. 

21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out 
their blood by the force of the sword ; and let their wives be be- 
reaved of their children, and be widows ; and let their men be put to 
death ; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. 

22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a 
troop suddenly upon them : for they have digged a pit to take me, 
and hid snares for my feet. 

23 Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay 
me : forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy 
sight, but, let them be overthrown before thee : deal thus with them 
in the time of thine anger. 

JEREMIAH, XIX. 

Under the type of breaking a potter's vessel, is foresheiced the 
desolation of the Jews. 

1 Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and 
take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the 
priests ; 

2 And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by 
the entry of the east crate, and proclaim there the words that I shall 
tell thee, 

3 And say, Hear ye the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and 
inhabitants of Jerusalem ; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of 
Israel ; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whoso- 
ever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 

4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, 
and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they 
nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled 
this place with the blood of innocents ; 

5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons 
with fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor 
spake it, neither came it into my mind : 

6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this 
place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of 
Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. 



256 



Jeremiah. 



7 And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in 
this place ; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their 
enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives : and their 
carcasses will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for 
the beasts of the earth. 

8 And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing : every one 
that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss, because of all the 
plagues thereof. 

9 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons, and the 
flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his 
friend, in the siege and straitness wherewith their enemies, and they 
that seek their lives, shall straiten them. 

10 Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that 
go with thee, 

11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Even 
so will I break this people, and this city, as one breaketh a potter's 
vessel, that cannot be made whole again, and they shall bury them 
in Tophet, till there be no place to bury. 

12 Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the 
inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet : 

13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of 
Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the 
houses upon whose roofs they have burnt incense unto all the host of 
heaven, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods. 

14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the Lord had 
sent him to prophesy ; and he stood in the court of the Lord's house, 
and said to all the people, 

15 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I 
will bring upon this city, and upon all her towns, all the evil that I 
have pronounced against it; because they have hardened their necks, 
that they might not hear my words. 

JEREMIAH, XX. 

Pashur, smiting Jeremiah, receiveth a new name, and a fearful 
doom. Jeremiah complaineth of contempt, of treachery, and of 
his birth. . 

1 Now Pashur, the son of Immer the priest, who ivas also chief 
governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied 
these things. 

2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the 
stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the 
house of the Lord. 

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that. Pashur brought forth 
Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The 
Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-rnissabib. 

4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to 
thyself, and to all thy friends ; and they shall fall by the sword of 
their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it : and I will give all 
Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry 
them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 

5 Moreover, I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the 
labors thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures 



Jeremiah. 



257 



of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, 
which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. 

6 And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go 
into captivity : and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt 
die, and shalt be buried there, thou and all thy friends, to whom thou 
hast prophesied lies. 

TWO Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived ; thou art 
stronger than I, and hast prevailed : I am in derision daily, every one 
mocketh me. 

8 F or since I spake I cried out, I cried violence and spoil ; because 
the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision 
daily. 

9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any 
more in his name : but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire 
shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could 
not stay. 

10 IT For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Re- 
port, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for 
my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall 
prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. 

11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one ; therefore 
tny persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail : they shall 
be greatly ashamed ; for they shall not prosper : their everlasting 
confusion shall never be forgotten. 

12 But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the 
reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them : for unto 
thee have I opened my cause. 

13 Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord ; for he hath delivered 
the soul of the poor from the hand of evil-doers. 

14 IT Cursed be the day wherein I was born : let not the day 
wherein my mother bare me be blessed. 

15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, 
A man-child is born unto thee, making him very glad. 

16 And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, 
and repented not : and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the 
shouting at noon-tide : 

.17 Because he slew me not from the womb: or that my mother 
might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great 
with me. 

18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labor and 
sorrow, that my days should be confirmed with shame ? 

JEREMIAH, XXIII. 

Jeremiah prophesieth a restoration of the scattered flock. Against 
false prophets. 

1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my 
pasture ! saith the Lord. 

2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors 
that feed my people, Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them 
away, and have not visited them ; behold, I will visit upon you the 
evil of your doings, saith the Lord. 



258 



Jeremiah, 



3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries 
whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; 
and they shall be fruitful and increase. 

4 And I will set up shepherds over them, which shall feed them ; 
and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be 
lacking, saith the Lord. 

5 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto 
David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and 
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 

6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely ; 
and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OL'll 
RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they 
shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children 
of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; 

8 But, The Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led, the 
seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all 
countries whither I had driven them ; and they shall dwell in their 
own land. 

9 U Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets ; all 
my bones shake : I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom 
wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words 
of his holiness. 

10 For the land is full of adulterers ; for because of swearing the 
land mourneth, the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, 
and their course is evil, and their force is not right. 

11 For both prophet and priest are profane ; yea, in my house have 
I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. 

12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery icays in 
the darkness ; they shall be driven on, and fall therein : for I will 
bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the 
Lord. 

13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria : they 
prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. 

14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible 
thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also 
the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return from his wickedness : 
they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof 
as Gomorrah. 

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, 
Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the 
water of gall : for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness 
gone forth into all the land. 

16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of 
the prophets that prophesy unto you ; they make you vain : they 
speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the 
Lord. 

17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, 
Ye shall have peace ; and they say unto every one that walketh after 
the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. 

18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath 
perceived and heard his word ? Who hath marked his word, and 
heard it? 



Jeremiah. 



259 



19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a 
grievous whirlwind : it shall fall grievously upon the head of the 
wicked. 

20 The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, 
and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart : in the latter 
days ye shall consider it perfectly. 

21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran : I have not spoken 
to them, yet they prophesied. 

22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people 
to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil 
way, and from the evil of their doings. 

23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar 
off? 

24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see 
him ? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth ? saith the 
Lord. 

25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my 
name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 

26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy 
lies ? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart ; 

27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their 
dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers 
have forgotten my name for Baal. 

28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream ; and he 
that hath my word, let him speak my, word faithfully : what is the 
chaff to the wheat ? saith the Lord. 

29 Is not my word like as a fire ? saith the Lord ; and like a 
hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? 

30 Therefore, behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, 
that steal my words every one from his neighbor. 

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LoRDj that use 
their tongues, and say, He saith. 

32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the 
j ! Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, 

and by their lightness ; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them : 
therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. 

33 IT And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask 
thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord ? thou shalt then say 
unto them, What burden ? I will even forsake you, saith the 
Lord. 

34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that 
shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and 
his house. 

35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbor, and every one to 
his brother, What hath the Lord answered ? and, What hath the 
Lord spoken ? 

38 And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more ; for 
every man's word shall be his burden : for ye have perverted the 
words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts, our God. 

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord 
answered thee ? and, What hath the Lord spoken ? 

38 But since ye say, The burden of the Lord ; therefore thus 
| saith the Lord, Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, 



260 Zedekiah. Jehoiachin. Jeremiah. 



and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of 
the Lord : 

39 Therefore, behold I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will 
forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast 
you out of my presence : 

40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a per- 
petual shame, which shall not be forgotten. 

B. C. 599. 2 kings, xxiv. 

6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers : and Jehoiachin his son 
reigned in his stead. 

7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: 
for the king of Babylon had taken, from the river of Egypt unto the 
river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt. 

8 IT Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, 
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name 
was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 

9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 
according to all that his father had done. 

10 IT At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon 
came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 

11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, 
and his servants did besiege it. 

12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of 
Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and 
his officers : and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of 
his reign. 

13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the 
Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the 
vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple 
of the Lord, as the Lord had said. 

14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and 
all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the 
craftsmen and smiths : none remained, save the poorest sort of people 
of the land. 

15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's 
mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the 
land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 

16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen 
and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even 
them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 

17 IT And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother 
king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 

18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to 
reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's 
name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 

19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 
according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 

JEREMIAH, XXIV. 

By good and had figs, he foresheweth the restoration from captivity, 
and the desolation of Zedekiah and the rest. 
1 The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set 



Jeremiah. 



261 



before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of 
Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king 
of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, 
from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 

2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first 
ripe : and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not 
be eaten, they were so bad. 

3 Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah ? And 
I said, Figs ; the good figs, very good ; and the evil, very evil, that 
cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 

4 11 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

5 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel ; Like these good figs, 
so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, 
whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for 
their good. 

6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring 
them again to this land : and I will build them, and not pull them 
down ; and i will plant them, and not pluck them up. 

7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord : 
and they shall be my people, and I will be their God : for they shall 
return unto me with their whole heart. 

8 IT And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil ; 
surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give Zedekiah the king of 
Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in 
this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: 

9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of 
the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and 
a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. 

10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, 
among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto 
them and to their fathers. 

JEREMIAH, XLIX. 

The judgment of the Ammonites, of Edom, of Damascus, of Ke- 
dar, of Hazor, and of Elam. 

1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord, Hath Israel no 
sons ? hath he no heir ? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and 
his people dwell in his cities ? 

2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will 
cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites ; 
and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burnt with 
fire : then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the 
Lord. 

3 Howl, O Heshbon ; for Ai is spoiled : cry, ye daughters of Rab- 
bah, gird you with sackcloth ; lament, and run to and fro by the 
hedges : for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his 
princes together. 

4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O 
backsliding daughter ? that trusted in hei treasures, saying, Who 
shall come unto me ? 

5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord God of 
hosts, from all those that be about thee ; and ye shall be driven out 

22 



262 



Jeremiah, 



every man right forth ; and none shall gather up him that wan- 
dereth. 

6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of 
Amnion, saith the Lord. 

7 IT Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Is wisdom 
no more in Teman ? is counsel perished from the prudent ? is their 
wisdom vanished ? 

8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, inhabitants of Dedan ; for I 
will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him, 

9 If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some 
gleaning grapes ? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have 
enough. 

10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places,, 
and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his 
brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not. 

11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive ; and 
let thy widows trust in me. 

12 For thus saith the Lord ; Behold, they whose judgment icas 
not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken ; and art thou he thai 
shall altogether go unpunished ? thou shalt not go unpunished, but 
thou shalt surely drink of it. 

13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall 
become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the 
cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 

14 I have heard a rumor from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent 
unto the heathen, saying, gather ye together, and come against her 3 
and rise up to the battle. 

15 For, lo. 1 will make thee small among the heathen, and 
despised among men. 

16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine 
heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest 
the height of the hill : though thou shouldest make thy nest as 
high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the 
Lord. 

17 Also Edom shall be a desolation : every one that goeth by it 
shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 4 

18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor 
cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall 
a son of man dwell in it. 

19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan 
against the habitation of the strong : but I will suddenly make him 
run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint 
over her ? for who is like me ? and who will appoint me the time ? 
and who is that shepherd that will stand before me ? 

20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken 
against Edoin ; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the 
inhabitants of Teman : Surely the least of the flock shall draw them 
out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them. 

21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall ; at the cry, the 
noise thereof was heard in the Red sea. 

22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his 
wings over Bozrah : and at that day shall the heart of the mighty 
men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 



Jeremiah. 



263 



23 IT Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad : 
for they have heard evil tidings : they are faint hearted ; there is 
sorrow on the sea ; it cannot i^e quiet. 

24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear 
hath seized on her : anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman 
in travail. 

25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy ! 

26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the 
men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of hosts. 

27 And I w T ill kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall 
consume the palaces of Ben-hadad. 

28 17 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, 
which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the 
Lord, Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. 

29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away : they shall 
take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their 
camels ; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side. 

30 T\ Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, ye inhabitants of Hazor, 
saith the Lord ; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken 
counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. 

31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without 
care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell 
alone. 

32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their 
cattle a spoil : and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the 
utmost corners ; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, 
saith the Lord. 

33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation 
for ever : there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell 
in it. 

34 IT The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet 
against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedediah king of 
Judah, saying, 

35 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will break the bow of 
Elam, the chief of their might. 

36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quar- 
ters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds ; and 
there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not 
come. 

37 For I will cause Elam to be 'dismayed before their enemies, and 
before them that seek their life ; and I will bring evil upon them, 
even my fierce anger, saith the Lord : and I will send the sword 
after them, till I have consumed them: 

38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence 
the king and the princes, saith the Lord. 

39 IT But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring- 
again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord. 

JEREMIAH, XXIX. B. C. 598. 

Jeremiah's letter to the captives in Babylon. The fearful end of 
Ahab and Zedekiah, two lying prophets. 
1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet 



264 



Zedekiah. Jeremiah. 



sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were 
carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to 
all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from 
Jerusalem to Babylon. 

2 (After that Jeconiah the king*, and the queen, and the eunuchs 9 
the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the 
smiths, were departed from Jerusalem.) 

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the 
son of Hilkiab, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to 
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,) saying, 

4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are 
carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from 
Jerusalem unto Babylon ; 

5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them ; and plant gardens, and eat 
the fruit of them ; 

6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters ; and take wives 
for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may 
bear sons and daughters ; that ye may be increased there, and not 
diminished. 

7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be 
carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it : for in the 
peace thereof shall ye have peace. 

8 IT For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; Let not 
your prophets and your diviners that be in the midst of you, deceive 
you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 

9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name : I have not 
sent them, saith the Lord. 

10 -IT For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accom- 
plished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward 
you, in causing you to return to this place. 

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the 
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected 
end. 

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, 
and I will hearken unto you. 

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for 
me with all your heart. 

14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord ; and I will turn 
away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and 
from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord ; and 
I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be 
carried away captive. 

15 IT Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets 
in Babylon ; 

16 Know that thus saith the Lord of the king that sitteth upon 
the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, 
and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into cap- 
tivity ; 

17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Behold, I will send upon them 
the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like 
vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 

18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, 
and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all 



Zedekiah. Jeremiah. 



265 



the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an 
hissing, and a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven 
them. 

19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, 
which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early 
and sending them ; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord. 

20 IT Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the cap- 
tivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon : 

21 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the 
son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy 
a lie unto you in my name ; Behold, I will deliver them into the 
hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; and he shall slay them 
before your eyes : 

22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of 
Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make thee like 
Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the 
fire ; 

23 Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have com- 
mitted adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying 
words in my name, which I have not commanded them ; even I 
know, and am a witness, saith the Lord. 

24 IT Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 
saying, 

25 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, 
Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that 
are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, 
and to ail the priests, saying, 

26 The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the 
priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every 
man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest 
put him in prison, and in the stocks. 

27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Ana- 
thoth, which maketh himself a prophet to vgu ? 

28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity 
is long; build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and 
eat the fruit of them. 

29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jere- 
miah the prophet. 

30 IT Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 

31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord 
concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite ; Because that Shemaiah hath 
prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust 
in a lie : 

32 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I will punish She- 
maiah the Nehelamite, and his seed : he shall not have a man to 
dwell among this people ; neither shall he behold the good that I 
will do for my people, saith the Lord ; because he hath taught 
rebellion against the Lord. 

22* 



266 



Zedekiah. Jeremiah. 



B. C. 597. JEREMIAH, XXVII. 

Under the type of bonds and yokes, he prophesieth the subduing of 
the neighbor kings unto Nebuchadnezzar. 

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakini* the son of Josiah 
king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, 

saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord to me, Make thee bonds and yokes, and 
put them upon thy neck, 

3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, 
and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to 
the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to 
Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah ; 

4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the 
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say unto your mas- 
ters ; 

5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the 
ground, by my great power, and by my outstretched arm, and have 
given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 

6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebu- 
chadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant; and the beasts of the 
field have I given him also to serve him. 

7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, 
until the very time of his land come ; and then many nations and 
great kings shall serve themselves of him. 

8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which 
will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and 
that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babyon, 
that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with 
the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by 
his hand. 

9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, 
nor to your dreamers, nor to your inchanters, nor to your sorcerers, 
which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of 
Babylon : 

10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your 
land ; and that i should drive you out, and ye should perish. 

11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the 
king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their 
own land, saith the Lord ; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 

12 IT I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these 
words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of 
Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 

13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the 
famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the 
nation that will not serve the king of Babylon ? 

14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak 
unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon : for they 
prophesy a lie unto you. 



* This whole transaction seems evidently to refer to the days, and to be ad- 
dressed to Zedekiah ; therefore commentators have concluded that Jehoiakim was 
erroneously transcribed for Zedekiah in some early copy of the Scriptures. 



Zedekiah. Jeremiah. 



267 



15 For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a 
lie in my name, that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, 
ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. 

16 Also I spake to the priests, and to all this people, saying, Thus 
saith the Lord, Hearken not to the words of your prophets that 
prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house 
shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon : for they prophesy 
a lie unto you. 

17 Hearken not unto them ; serve the king of Babylon and live : 
wherefore should this city be laid waste ? 

18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with 
them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the 
vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of 
the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. 

19 IT For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and 
concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the 
residue of the vessels that remain in this city, 

20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he 
carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, 
from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jeru- 
salem ; 

21 Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the. God of Israel, concerning 
the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house 
of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem, 

22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until 
the day that I "visit them, saith the Lord : then will I bring them 
up, and restore them to this place. 

JEREMIAH, XXVIII. 

Hananiah's false prophesy: he breaketh Jeremiah's yoke. Jere- 
miah foretelleth of an iron yoke, and Hananiah'' s death. 

1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign 
of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, 
that Hananiah, the son of Azur, the prophet, which was of Gibeon 5 
spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the 
priests, and of all the people, saying, 

2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I 
have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 

3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the 
vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon 
took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon : 

4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah, the son of Jehoia- 
kim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into 
Babylon, saith the Lord : for I will break the yoke of the king of 
Babylon. 

5 IF Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah, in 
the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that 
stood in the house of the Lord, 

6 Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen : the Lord do so ; the 
Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again 
the vessels of the Lord's house, and all that is carried away captive, 
from Babylon into this place. 



268 



Jeremiah* 



7 Nevertheless, hear thou now this word that 1 speak in thine 
ears, and in the ears of all the people ; 

8 The prophets that have heen before me, and before thee of old, 
prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, 
of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. 

9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the 
prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known that the 
Lord hath truly sent him. 

10 1T Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the 
prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. 

11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, 
Thus saith the Lord, Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchad- 
nezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations, within the space 
of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 

12 IT Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the iirophet, 
(after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the 
neck of the prophet Jeremiah,) saying, 

13 Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast 
broken the yokes of wood ; but thou shalt make for them yokes of 
iron. 

14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have put 
a yoke of iron upon the neek of all these nations, that they may serve 
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ; and they shall serve him : and I 
have given him the beasts of the field also. 

15 f Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, 
Hear now, Hananiah, The Lord hath not sent thee ; but thou makest 
this people to trust in a lie. 

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off 
the face of the earth : this year thou shalt die, because thou hast 
taught rebellion against the Lord. 

17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year, in the seventh 
month. 

B. C. 505. JEREMIAH, L. 

1 The word that the Lord spake against Babylon, and against the 
land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. 

2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a stand- 
ard, publish and conceal not : say, Babylon is taken, Bell is con- 
founded, Merodach is broken in pieces, her idols are confounded, her 
images are broken in pieces. 

3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, 
which shall make her land desolate ; and none shall dwell therein : 
they shall remove, they shall depart both man and beast. 

4 IF In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children 
of Israel shall come, they, and the children of Judah together, going, 
and weeping they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. 

5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, 
saying. Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord, in a perpetual 
covenant that shall not be forgotten. 

6 My people hath been lost sheep : their shepherds have caused 
them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains : 



Jeremiah. 



269 



they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their 
resting-place. 

7 All that found them have devoured them : and their adversaries 
said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, 
the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers. 

S Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land 
of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks. 

9 II For lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an 
assembly of great nations from the north country : and they shall set 
themselves in array against her ; from thence she shall be taken : 
their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man ; none shall return in 
vain. 

10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil : all that spoil her shall be satisfied, 
saith the Lord. 

11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of 
mine heritage ; because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and 
bellow as bulls ; 

12 Your mother shall be sore confounded ; she that bear you shall 
be ashamed; behold, the hindermost of the nation shall be a wilder- 
ness, a dry land, and a desert. 

13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but 
it shall be wholly desolate : every one that goeth by Babylon shall 
be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. 

14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about : all ye 
that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows : for she hath sinned 
against the Lord. 

15 Shout against her round about : she hath given her hand : her 
foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down : for it is the ven- 
geance of the Lord : take vengeance upon her ; as she hath done, do 
unto her. 

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the 
sickle in the time of harvest : for fear of the oppressing sword they 
shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to 
his own land. 

17 IF Israel is a scattered sheep, the lions have driven him away : 
first the king of Assyria hath devoured him ; and last this Nebuchad- 
rezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. 

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel ; 
Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have 
punished the king of Assyria. 

19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall 
feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount 
Ephraim and Gilead. 

20 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of 
Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of 
Judah, and they shall not be found : for I will pardon them whom I 
reserve. 

21 IT Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and 
against the inhabitants of Pekod : waste and utterly destroy after 
them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded 
thee. 

22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction. 



270 



Jeremiah. 



23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and 
broken ! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations ! 

24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, 
and thou wast not aware : thou art found, and also caught, because 
thou hast striven against the Lord. 

25 The Lord hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the 
weapons of his indignation : for this is the work of the Lord God of 
hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. 

28 Come against her from the utmost border, open her store- 
houses ; cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly : let nothing 
of her be left. 

27 Slay all her bullocks ; let them go down to the slaughter : 
woe unto them ! for their day is come, the time of their visita- 
tion. 

28 The voice of them that flee and escape out oi the land of 
Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the 
vengeance of his temple. 

29 Call together the archers against Babylon : all ye that bend the 
bow, camp against it round about ; let none thereof escape : recom- 
pense her according to her work ; according to all that she hath done 
do unto her : for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the 
holy One of Israel. 

30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and ail her 
men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord. 

31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord 
God of hosts : for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. 

32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise 
him up : and 1 will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all 
round about him. 

33 IT Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The children of Israel, and the 
children of Judah, were oppressed together ; and all that took them 
captives held them fast ; they refused to let them go. 

34 Their Redeemer is strong ; The Lord of hosts is his name : 
he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the 
land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. 

35 IT A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the 
inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise 
men. 

36 A sword is upon the liars ; and they shall dote : a sword is upon 
her mighty men ; and they shall be dismayed. 

37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and 
upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her ; and they 
shall become as women : a sword is upon her treasures ; and they 
shall be robbed. 

38 A drought is upon her waters ; and they shall be dried up : for 
it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. 

39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert, with the wild beasts of 
the islands, shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein : and it 
shall be no more inhabited for ever ; neither shall it be dwelt in from 
generation to generation. 

40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbor 
cities thereof, saith the Lord ; so shall no man abide there, neither 
shall any son of man dwell therein. 



Jeremiah. 



271 



41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, 
and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 

42 They shall hold the bow and the lance ; they are cruel, and 
will not shew mercy : their voice shall roar like the sea, and they 
shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the 
battle, against thee, daughter of Babylon. 

43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his 
hands waxed feeble ; anguish took hold of him and pangs as of a 
woman in travail. 

44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of 
Jordan, unto the habitation of the strong : but I will make them 
suddenly run away from her : and who is a chosen man, that I may 
appoint over her ? for who is like me : and who will appoint me the 
time ? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me ? 

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken 
against Babylon ; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the 
land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw 
them out ; surely he shall make their habitation desolate with 
Ihem. 

46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and 
the cry is heard among the nations. 

JEREMIAH, LI. 

GocTs severe judgment against Babylon in revenge of Israel. 

1 Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, 
and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against 
me, a destroying wind ; 

2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that "shall fan her, and 
shall empty her land : for in the day of trouble they shall be against 
her round about. 

3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and 
against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine ; and spare ye 
not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host. 

4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they 
that are thrust through in her streets. 

5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the 
Lord of hosts ; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy 
One of Israel. 

6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his 
soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's 
vengeance ; he will render unto her a recompense. 

7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made 
all the earth drunken : the nations have drunken of her wine ; there- 
fore the nations are mad. 

8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed : howl for her : take 
balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. 

9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed : forsake 
her, and let us go every one into his own country : for her judgment 
reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. 

10 The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness : come, and let 
us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. 

11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath 



272 



Jeremiah. 



raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes : for his device is against 
Babylon, to destroy it ; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the 
vengeance of his temple. 

12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch 
strong ; set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes : for the Lord 
hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabit- 
ants of Babylon. 

13 thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, 
thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. 

14 The Lord of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying. Surely I will 
fill thee with men, as with caterpillars : and they shall lift up a shout 
against thee. 

15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the 
world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his under- 
standing. 

16 When he uttereth his voice there is a multitude of waters in the 
heavens ; and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the 
earth : he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind 
out of his treasures. 

17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge ; every founder is con- 
founded by the graven image : for his molten image is falsehood, and 
there is no breath in them. 

18 They are vanity, the work of errors : in the time of their visita- 
tion they shall perish. 

19 The portion of Jacob is not like them ; for he is the former of 
all things ; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance ; the Lord of hosts 
is his name, 

20 Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war : for with thee 
will I break in pieces the nations ; and with thee will I destroy 
kingdoms ; 

21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider ; 
and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; 

22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman ; and 
with thee will I break in pieces old and young ; and with thee will I 
break in pieces the young man and the maid ; 

23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; 
and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of 
oxen ; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. 

24 And I will render unto Babylon, and to all the inhabitants of 
Chaldea, all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, 
saith the Lord. 

25 Behold, I am against thee, destroying mountain, saith the 
Lord, which destroyest all the earth : and I will stretch out mine 
hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make 
thee a burnt mountain. 

26 And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a 
stone for foundations ; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the 
Lord. 

27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the 
nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her 
the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz : appoint a captain 
against her ; cause the horses to come up as the rough cater- 
pillars. 



Jeremiah. 



273 



23 Prepare against her the nations, with the kings of the Medes. 
the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and ail the land of his 
dominion. 

29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow : for every purpose of 
the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of 
Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant. 

30 The mighty men of Babylon hare forborne to fight, they have 
remained in their holds : their might hath failed, they became as 
women: they have burnt her dwelling-places: her bars are bro- 
ken. 

31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet 
another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one 
end. 

32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have 
burnt with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. 

33 For thus saith the Lord of host?, the God of Israel, The 
daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor, it is time to thresh 
her : yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come. 

34 Nebuchadrezzar the kins: of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath 
crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed 
me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he 
hath cast me out. 

35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, 
shall the inhabitant of Zion say ; and, My blood upon the inhabitants 
of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. 

38 Therefore thus saith the Lord. Behold. I will plead thy cause, 
and take vengeance for thee ; and I will dry up her sea, and make 
her springs dry. 

37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, 
an astonishment and an hissing without an inhabitant. 

38 They shall roar together like lions : they shall yell as lion's 
whelps. 

39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them 
drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not 
wake, saith the Lord. 

40 I will bring them down like Iambs to the slaughter, like rams 
with he- go it-. 

41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole 
earth surprised ! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the 
nations ! 

42 The sea is come up upon Babylon : she is covered with the 
multitude of the waves thereof. 

43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land 
wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass 
thereby. 

44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon : and I will bring forth out of 
his mouth that which he hath swallowed up : and the nations shall 
not flow together any more unto him : yea, the wall of Babylon shall 
fall. 

45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every 
man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord. 

46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumor that shall 

23 



274 



Jeremiah, 



be heard in the land ; a rumor shall both come one year, and after 
that in another year shall come a rumor, and violence in the land, 
ruler against ruler. 

47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment 
upon the graven images of Babylon : and her whole land shall be 
confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her, 

48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall 
sing for Babylon : for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, 
saith the Lord. 

49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon 
shall fall the slain of all the earth. 

50 Ye that have escaped the sword go away, stand not still ; 
remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your 
mind. 

51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach : shame 
hath covered our faces ; for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of 
the Lord's house. 

52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will 
do judgment upon her graven images ; and through all her land the 
wounded shall groan. 

53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she 
should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers 
come unto her, saith the Lord, 

54 A sound of a cry coraeth from Babylon, and great destruction 
from the land of the Chaldeans : 

55 Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of 
her the great voice ; when her waves do roar like great waters, a 
noise of their voice is uttered : 

56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and 
her mighty men are taken every one of their bows is broken : for 
the Lord God of recompenses shall surely requite. 

57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her 
captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men : and they shall sleep a 
perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is The 
Lord of hosts. 

58 Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; The broad walls of Babylon 
shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire : 
and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they 
shall be weary. 

59 The word "which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah 
the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah 
the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And 
this Seraiah was a quiet prince. 

60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come 
upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against 
Babylon. 

61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, 
and shalt see, and shait read all these words ; 

62 Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this 
place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither mannor beast, 
but that it^hall be desolate for ever. 

63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this 



Jeremiah, 



275 



book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of 
Euphrates : 

64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise 
from the evil that I will bring upon her : and they shall be weary. 
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. 

JEREMIAH, XXX. B. C. 594. 

The Jews 9 return. Joab comforted. Their return shall be 
gracious. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 

2 Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all 
the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. 

3 For, lo, the daj r s come, saith the Lord ; that I will bring again 
the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord : and I 
will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and 
they shall possess it. 

4 % And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning 
Israel and concerning Judah. 

5 For thus saith the Lord ; We have heard a voice of trembling, 
of fear, and not of peace. 

6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child ? 
Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a 
woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness ? 

7 Alas ! for that day is great* so that none is like it : it is even the 
time of Jacob's trouble : but he shall be saved out of it. 

8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts 3 
that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy 
bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him : 

9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, 
whom I will raise up unto them. 

10 IT Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the 
Lord ; neither be dismayed, O Israel : for, lo, I will save thee from, 
afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall 
return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him 
afraid. 

11 For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee : though I 
make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will 
I not make a full end of thee : but I will correct thee in measure s 
and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. 

12 For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy 
wound is grievous. 

13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound 
up : thou hast no healing medicines. 

14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee : they seek thee not : for I 
have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastise- 
ment of a cruel one. for the multitude of thine iniquity ; because thy 
sins were increased. 

15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction ? Thy sorrow is incurable 
for the multitude of thine iniquity : because thy sins were increased, 
I have done these things unto thee. 

16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured ; and all 
thine adversaries, every one of them s shall go into captivity ; and 



276 



Jeremiah. 



they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will 
I give for a prey. 

17 For J will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy 
wounds, saith the Lord ; because they called thee an Outcast, say- 
ing, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. 

18 If Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I will bring again the captivity 
of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places ; and the city 
shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after 
the manner thereof. 

19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of 
them that make merry : and I will multiply them, and they shall not 
be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. 

20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congrega- 
tion shall be established before me, and I will punish ail that oppress 
them. 

21 And their . nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor 
shall proceed from the midst of them : and I will cause him to draw 
near, and he shall approach unto me : for who is this that engaged 
his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord. 

22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 

23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a 
continuing whirlwind : it shall fall with pain upon the head of the 
wicked. 

24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have 
done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart : in the 
latter days 5 7 e shall consider it. 



JEREjJIAHj xxxi. 

The restoration of Israel. Christ promised: his care over the 

church. 

1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the 
families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 

2 Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword 
found grace in the wilderness ; even Israel, when I went to cause 

him to rest. 

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying. Yea, I have 
loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness 
have I draw r n thee. 

4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of 
Israel : thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go 
forth in the dances of them that make merry. 

5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria : the 
planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. 

6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount 
Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord 
our God. 

7 For thus saith the Lord ; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and 
shout among the chief of the nations : publish ye, praise ye, and say, 
O Lord,, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. 

S Behold I will bring them from the north country, and gather 
them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and 



Jeremiah. 



277 



the ianie, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child 
together ; a great company shall return thither. 

9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I 
lead them : I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a 
straight way, wherein they shall not stumble ; for I am father to 
Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born. 

10 IT Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, and declare it in 
the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, 
and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. 

11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from 
the hand of Mm that was stronger than he. 

12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and 
shall sow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for 
wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and of the herd: and 
their soul shall be as a watered garden ; and they shall not sorrow 
any more at ail. 

13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and 
old together : for i will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort 
them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 

14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my 
people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. 

15 IT Thus saith the Lord, A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamenta- 
tion, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, refused 
to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 

16 Thus saith the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine 
eyes from tears : for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord ; 
and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 

17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children 
shall come again to their own border. 

18 IT I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou 
hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed 
to the yoke : turn thou me, and I shall be turned ; for thou art the 
Lord my God. 

19 Surely after that I was turned I repented ; and after that I was 
instructed I smote upon my thigh : I was ashamed, yea, even con- 
founded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. 

20 Is Ephraim my dear son ? is he a pleasant child ? for since I 
spake against him I do earnestly remember him stili ; therefore my 
bowels are troubled for him : I will surely have mercy upon him, 
saith the Lord. 

21 Set thee up way-marks, make thee high heaps : set thine heart 
toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest : turn again, 
O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. 

22 IT How long wilt thou go about. O thou backsliding daughter ? 
for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall 
compass a man. 

23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, As yet they 
shall use this speech in the land of Judah, and in the cities thereof, 
when 1 shall bring again their captivity, The Lord bless thee, O 
habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. 

24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities 
thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks, 

23 * 



■278 



Jeremiah. 



25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and 1 have replenished 
every sorrowful soul. 

28 Upon this I awaked, and beheld ; and my sleep was sweet unto 
me. 

27 % Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the 
house of Israel, and the house of Judah, with the seed of man, and 
with the seed of beast. 

23 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over 
them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to 
destroy, and to afflict ; so will I watch over them, to build, and to 
plant, saith the Lord. 

29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a 
sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. 

30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity : every man that 
eateth the scur grapf , his teeth shall be set on edge. 

81 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a 
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of 

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their 
fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out 
of the land of Egypt; (which my covenant they brake, although I 
was an husband unto them, saith the Lord ;) 

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house 
of Israel ; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in 
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their 
God, and they shall be my people. 

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and 
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for they shall all 
know me. from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the 
Lord : for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their 
sin no more. 

35 H Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, 
and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, 
which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar ; The Lord of 
hosts is his name : 

36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, 
then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me 
for ever. 

37 Thus saith the Lord, If heaven above can be measured, 
and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also 
cast off all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the 
Lord. 

38 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be 
built to the Lord, from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the 
corner. 

39 And the measuring-line shall go forth over against it upon the 
hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. 

40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and 
all the fields, unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse- 
gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord ; it shall not be 
plucked up, nor thrown down, any more for ever. 



EzekieL 



279 



EZEKIEL, I. 

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth" year, in the fourth month. 
in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the 
river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of 
God. 

2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king 
Jehoiachin's captivity, 

3 The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, 
the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar : 
and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. 

4 TT And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, 
a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness icas about 
it. and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the 
midst of the fire. 

5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living 
creatures. And this was their appearance ; they had the likeness of 
a "man. 

6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 

7 And their feet were straight feet ; and the sole of their feet was 
like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of 
burnished brass. 

8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their 
four sides ; and they four had their faces and, their wings. 

9 Their wings were joined one to another ; they turned not when 
they went ; they went every one straight forward. 

10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a 
man, and the face of a lion, on the right side ; and they four had the 
face of an ox on the left side ; they four also had the face of an 
eagle. 

11 Thus were their faces : and their wings were stretched up- 
ward ; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two 
covered their bodies. 

12 And they went every one straight forward : whither the spirit 
was to go they went ; and they turned not when they went. 

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance ivas 
like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps : it went 
up and down among the living creatures ; and the fire was bright, 
and out of the fire went forth lightning. 

14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of 
a flash of lightning. 

15 If Now, as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel 
upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 

16 The appearance of the wheels and their work teas like unto the 
color of a beryl ; and they four had one likeness : and their appear- 
ance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a 
wheel. 



* Thirtieth year. Tt is difficult to determine to what date the prophet here 
alludes. Some suppose he refers to the time of Josiaivs reformation ; some to the 
accession of Nabo-holassar to the throne of Babylon ; and others still to the years 
of hie own life. Let those who would see the arguments on this subject consult 
Scott, and other commentators, 



280 



Ezekiel. 



17 When they went, they went upon their four sides ; and they 
turned not when they went. 

18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful ; 
and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 

19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by 
them ; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, 
the wheels were lifted up. 

20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go they went, thither icas their 
spirit to go ; and the wheels were lifted up over against them : for 
the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 

21 When those went, these went ; and when those stood, these 
stood ; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels 
were lifted up over against them : for the spirit of the living crea- 
tures teas in the wheels. 

22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living 
creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over 
their heads above. 

23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one 
toward the other : every one had two, which covered on this side, 
and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 

24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the 
noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of 
speech as the noise of an host : when they stood they let down their 
wings. 

25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their 
heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. 

26 TT And above the firmament that was over their heads was the 
likeness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire stone : and upon 
the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a 
man above upon it. 

27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire 
round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, 
and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it 
were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 

28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of 
rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This icas 
the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And 
when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that 
spake. 

EZEKIEL, II. 

Ezekiel' s commission : his instructions : the roll of his heavy pro- 
phecy. 

1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I 
will speak unto thee. 

2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set 
me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. 

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of 
Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me : the}* and 
their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this veiy day. 

4 For they are impudent chitdren, and stiff-hearted : I do send 



Ezekiel. 



281 



thee unto them ; and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith the Lord 
God. 

5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, 
(for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been 
a prophet among them. 

6 IT And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid 
of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost 
dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed 
at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 

7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will 
hear, or whether they will forbear ; for they are most rebellious. 

8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee ; Be not thou 
rebellious like that rebellious house : open thy mouth, and eat that I 
give thee. 

9 IT And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me ; and 9 
lo, a roll of a book was therein ; 

10 And he spread it before me : and it icas written within and 
without : and there ivas written therein lamentations, and mournings 
and woe. 



EZEKIEL, III. 

Ezekiel eateth the roll : God sheweihhhn the rule of prophesy , and 
shutteth and openeth the propheVs mouth. 

1 Moreover he said onto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest ; 
eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 

2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat and fill 
thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it: and it 
was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 

4 IF And he said unto me, Son of man, go get thee unto the house 
of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. 

5^For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an 
hard language, but to the house of Israel : 

6 Not to many people of a strange speech, and of an hard lan- 
guage, whose words thou canst not understand : surely, had I sent 
thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 

7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for they 
will not hearken unto me : for all the house of Israel are impudent 
and hard-hearted. 

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy 
forehead strong against their foreheads. 

9 As an adamant, harder than flint, have T made thy forehead : 
fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a 
rebellious house. 

10 Moreover, he said unto" me, Son of man, all my words that I 
shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine 
ears. 

11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of 
thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord*- 
God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. 

12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a 



262 



Ezekiel. 



great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his 
place. 

13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that 
touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, 
and a noise of a great rushing. 

14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in 
bitterness, in the heat of my spirit ; but the hand of the Lord was 
strong upon me. 

15 IT Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt 
by the river of Chebar, and 1 sat where they sat, and remained there 
astonished among them seven days. 

16 And it came to pass, at the end of seven days, that the word of 
the Lord came unto me, saying, 

IT Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of 
Israel : therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warn- 
ing from me. 

18 When 1 say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and thou 
givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his 
wicked way, to save his life ; the same wicked man shall die in his 
iniquity : but his blood will I require at thine hand. 

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wicked- 
ness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity : but thou 
hast delivered thy soul. 

20 Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, 
and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall 
die : because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, 
and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered ; 
but his blood will I require at thine hand. 

21 Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that, the right- 
eous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is 
warned : also thou hast delivered thy soul. 

22 U And the hand of the Lord was there upon me, and said unto 
me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. 

23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain, and behold, the 
glorjr of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river 
of Chebar ; and I fell on my face. 

24 Then the spirit entered into, me, and set me upon my feet, and 
spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. 

25 But thou, son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon 
thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among 
them : 

26 And I will make thy -tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, 
that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover : for 
they are a rebellious house. 

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou 
shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; He that heareth, let 
him hear ; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear : for they are a 
rebellious house. 

EZEKIEL, IV. 

By the type of a siege is shewed the time from Jerusalem's defec- 
tion to the captivity. 
1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, 
and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem : 



Ezehiel. 



283 



2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a 
mount against it ; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams 
against it round about, 

3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall 
of iron between thee and the city ; and set thy face against it, and it 
shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This -shall be 
a sign to the house of Israel. 

4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house 
of Israel upon it : according to the number of the days that thou 
shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 

5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according 
I J to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt 

thou bear the iniquity of the hous© of Israel. 

6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right 
side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty 
days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. 

7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, 
and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against 
it. 

8 And behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn 
i thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy 

siege. 

9 IT Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and 
lentiles, and millet, and ntches, and put them in one vessel, and make 
thee bread thereof, according to the number of the cays that thou 
shalt lie upon thy side : three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat 
thereof. 

10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty 
shekels a day : from time to time shalt thou eat it. 

11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an 
hin : from time to time shalt thou drink. 

12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it 
with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. 

13 And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat 
their denied bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. 

14 Then said I, Ah Lord God ! behold, my soul hath not been 
polluted : for from my youth up, even till now, have I not eaten of 
that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces ; neither came there 
abominable flesh into my mouth. 

15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for 
man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. 

16 IT Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break 
the staff of bread in Jerusalem ; and they shall eat bread by weight, 
and with care ; and they shall drink water by measure, and with 
astonishment : 

17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with 
another, and consume away for their iniquity. 

EZEKIEL, V. 

Under the type of hair, is shewed the judgment of Jerusalem for 
their rebellion, by famine, sword, and dispersion. 
1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a bar- 



284 



Ezekiel. 



ber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head, and upon thy 
beard ; then take thee balances to weigh and divide the hair. 

2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, 
when the days of the siege are fulfilled ; and thou shalt take a third 
part and smite about it with a knife ; and a third part thou shalt 
scatter in the wind : and I will draw out a sword after them. 

3 Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them ia 
thy skirts. 

4 Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the 
fire, and burn them in the fire ; for thereof shall a fire come forth 
into all the house of Israel. 

5 IT Thus saith the Lord God, This is Jerusalem : I have set it 
in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about 
her. 

6 And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than 
the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round 
about her ; for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, 
they have not walked in them. 

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye multiplied more 
than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in 
my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done 
according to the judgments of the nations that are round about 
you; 

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, even I, am against 
thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee, in the sight 
of the nations. 

9 And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and where- 
unto I will not do any more the like ; because of all thine abomina- 
tions. 

10 Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and 
the sons shall eat their fathers ; and I will execute judgments in 
thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the 
winds. 

11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, Surely, because thou 
hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all 
thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall 
mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. 

12 IT A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with 
famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee ; and a third part 
shall fall by the sword round about thee ; and I will scatter a third 
part into all the winds ; and I will draw out a sword after them. 

13 Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my 
fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know 
that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when 1 have accom- 
plished my fury in them. 

14 Moreover, I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the 
nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by. 

15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an 
astonishment, unto the nations that are round about thee, when I 
shall execute judgments in thee, in anger and in fury, and in furious 
rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it. 

16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which 
shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you : 



Ezekiel. 



•285 



and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of 
bread. 

17 So will I send upon you famine, and evil beasts, and they shall 
bereave thee ; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee ; and 
I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it, 

EZEKIEL, VI. 

The judgment of Israel for their idolatry. A remnant shall be 
saved. The faithful are exhorted to lament their calamities. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and 
prophesy against them, 

3 And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord 
God ; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to 
the rivers and to the valleys, Behold I, even 1, will bring a sword 
upon you, and I will destroy your high places : 

4 And your altars shall be desolate-, and your images shall be 
broken ; and I wiil cast down your slain men before your idols. 

5 And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before 
their idols ; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars. 

6 In all your dwelling-places the cities shall be laid waste, and the 
high places shall be desolate ; that your altars may be laid waste and 
made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your 
images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 

7 And the slain shall fail in the midst of you ; and ye shall know 
that I am the Lord. 

8 IT Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall 
escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered 
through the countries. 

9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the 
nations, whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken 
with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with 
their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols : and they shall 
Joathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all 
their abominations. 

10 And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not 
said in vain that I would do this evil unto them. 

11 IT Thus saith the Lord God, Smite with thine hand, and stamp 
with thy foot, and say, Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house 
of Israel ! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the 
pestilence. 

12 He that is far off shall die of the pestilence ; and he that is 
near shall fall by the sword ; and he that remaineth and is besieged 
shall die by the famine : thus will I accomplish my fury upon 
them. 

13 Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men 
shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high 
hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, 
and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet 
savor to all their idols. 

14 So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land 

24 



286 



EzekieL 



desolate : yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblatb, 
in all their habitations ; and they shall know that I am the Lord, 

EZEEIEL ? VII. 

Israel's final desolation. The mournful repentance of them thai 
escape. Under the type of a chain is shewed their miserable 
captivity. 

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,, 

2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of 
Israel ; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the 
land. 

3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger 
upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will 
recompense upon thee all thine abominations. 

4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity S but 
I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall 
be in the midst of thee ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

5 Thus saith the Lord God l An evil, an only evil, behold, i* 
come. 

6 An end is come, the end is come : it watcheth for thee : behold, 
it is come. 

7 The morning is come unto thee, thou that dweliest in the 
land : the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sound- 
ing again of the mountains. 

8 Now will 1 shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish 
mine anger upon thee ; and 1 will judge thee according to thy ways, 
and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. 

9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity : I will 
recompense thee according to thy ways, and thine abominations that 
are in the midst of thee ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that 
smiteth. 

10 Behold the day, behold, it is come : the morning is gone forth ; 
the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. 

11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness : none of them 
shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs ; neither 
shall there be wailing for them. 

12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer 
rejoice, nor the seller mourn : for wrath is upon all the multitude j 
thereof. 

13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although 
they were yet alive : for the vision is touching the whole multitude ! 
thereof, which shall not return ; neither shall any strengthen himself 
id the iniquity of his life, 

14 They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready ; but 
none goeth to the battle : for my wrath is upon ail the multitude 
thereof. 

15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine with- 
in : he that is in the field shall die with the sword ; and he that is in 
the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. 

16 IT But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on 
the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every 
one for his iniquity. 



Ezekiel. Zedekiah. 



287 



IT All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as 
water. 

18 They shall also gird the?nselves with sackcloth, and horror shall 
cover them ; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all 
their heads. 

19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be 
removed : their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them 
in the day of the wrath of the Lord : they shall not satisfy their 
souls, neither fill their bowels ; because it is the stumbling-block of 
their iniquity. 

20 IT As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty ; but 
they made the images of their abominations, arid of their detestable 
things therein : therefore have I set it far from them. 

21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, 
and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil ; and they shall pollute 
it. 

22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my 
secret place : for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it. 

23 Make a chain ; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the 
city is full of violence. 

24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they 
shall possess their houses : I will also make the pomp of the strong 
to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled. 

25 Destruction cometh ; and they shall seek peace, and there shall 
be none. 

26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon 
rumor ; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet : but the law 
shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. 

27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with 
desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled : 
I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts 
will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

2 CHROJSTCLES, XXXVI. B. C. 593. 

11 IT Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to 
reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 

12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his 
God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking 
from the mouth of the Lord. 

13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had 
made him swear by God : but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his 
heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. 

14 IT Moreover all the chief of the priests and the people trans- 
gressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen ; and 
polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jeru- 
salem. 

15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his mes- 
sengers, rising up betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion 
on his people, and on his dwelling-place. 

16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his 
words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose 
against his people, till there was no remedy. 



288 



EzeJciel. 



EZEKIEL, VIII. 

EzekieVs vision of jealousy. The chambers of imagery, 

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the 
fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of 
Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon 
me. 

2 Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire % 
from the appearance of his loins, even downward, fire ; and from his 
loins, even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of 
amber. 

3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of 
mine head, and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the 
heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the 
door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the 
seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 

4 And. behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according 
to the vision that I saw in the plain. 

5 -IF Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the 
way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way towards 
the north, and, behold, northward at the gate of the altar, this image 
of jealousy in the entry. 

6 He said, furthermore, unto me, Son of man, seest thou what 
they do ? even the great abominations that the house of Israel com- 
mitteth here, that I should go far off from my s»j**toary ? But turn 
thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. 

7 IT And he brought me to the door of the court ; and when I 
looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 

8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and 
when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. 

9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations 
that they do here. 

10 So I went in and saw ; and, behold, every form of creeping; 
things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel., 
pourtrayed upon the wall round about. 

11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the 
house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of 
Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand ; and a thick cloud 
of incense went up. 

12 Then said he unto me. Son of man, hast thou seen what the 
ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the 
chambers of his imagery ? For they say, The Lord seeth us not ; 
the Lord hath forsaken the earth. 

13 IT He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt 
see greater abominations that they do. 

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's 
house which was toward the north ; and> behold, there sat women 
weeping for Tammuz. 

15 M Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, son of man r 
Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than 
these. 

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, 
and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the 



Ezehiel. 



289 



porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs 
toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east ; and 
they worshipped the sun toward the east. 

17 IT Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man ? 
Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abom- 
inations which they commit here? For they have filled the land 
with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, 
they put the branch to their nose. 

18 Therefore will I also deal in fury : mine eye shall not spare, 
neither will I have pity : and though they cry in mine ears with a 
loud voice, yet will I not hear them. 

EZEKIEL, IX. 

A vision whereby is shewed the preservation of some, and the de- 
struction of the rest. God cannot be entreated for them. 

1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them 
that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with 
his destroying weapon in his hand. 

2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, 
which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in 
his hand ; and one man among them ivas clothed with linen, with a 
writer's inkhorn by his side : and they went in, and stood beside the 
brazen altar. 

3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, 
w 7 hereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called, 
to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his 
side ; 

4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, 
through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads 
of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be 
done in the midst thereof. 

5 IT And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him 
through the city, and smite ; let not your eye spare, neither have ye 
pity: 

6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and 
women : but come not near any man upon whom is the mark ; and 
begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which 
were before the house. 

7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts 
with the slain : go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the 
city. 

8 IT And it came to pass, while they were slaving them, and 1 was 
left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God ! 
wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in the pouring out of thy 
fury upon Jerusalem ? 

9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and 
Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city 
full of perverseness : for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the 
earth, and the Lord seeth not. 

10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I 
have pity ; but I will recompense their w r ay upon their head. 

24 * 



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EzeJcieh 



11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the ink- 
horn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou 
hast commanded me. 

EZEKIEL, X, 

The vision of the coals of fire to be scattered over the city. The 
vision of the cherubims. 

1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the 
head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a 
sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 

2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in 
between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with 
coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the 
city. And he went in in my sight. 

3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house when 
the man went in ; and the cloud filled the inner court. 

4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and 
stood over the threshold of the house ; and the house was filled with 
the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's 
glory. 

5 And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the 
outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. 

6 And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man 
clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from 
between the cherubims ; then he went in, and stood beside the 
wheels. 

7 And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the 
cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took 
thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: 
who took it, and went out. 

8 IT And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand 
under their wings. 

9 And when I looked, behold, the four wheels by the cherubims, 
one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub : 
and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl 
stone. 

10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if 
a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 

11 When they went, they went upon their four sides ; they turned 
not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they fol- 
lowed it ; they turned not as they went. 

12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and 
their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the 
wheels that they four had. 

13 As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O 
wheel ! 

14 And every one had four faces : the first face was the face of a 
cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third 
the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 

15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature 
that I saw by the river of Chehar. 



Ezelciel. 



291 



16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them ; and 
when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the 
earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. 

17 When they stood, these stood ; and when they were lifted up, 
these lifted up themselves also : for the spirit of the living creature 
was in them. 

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of 
the house, and stood over the cherubims. 

19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings and mounted up from 
the earth in my sight : when they went out, the wheels also were 
beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the 
Lord's house ; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them 
above. 

20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel 
by the river of Chebar, and I knew that they ivere the cherubims. 

21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings ; 
and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 

22 And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw 
by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves : they went 
every one straight forward. 

EZEKIEL, XI. 

The princes 9 presumption: their sin and judgment. God's 
purpose of saving a remnant, and punishing the wicked, 

1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east 
gate of the Lord's house, which looketh eastward ; and behold at 
the door of the gate five and twenty men ; among whom I saw 
Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes 
of the people. 

2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that 
devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city. 

3 Which say, it is not near ; let us build houses : this city is the 
caldron, and we be the flesh. 

4 IF Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. 

5 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, 
Speak ; Thus saith the Lord ; Thus have ye said, O house of 
Israel : for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of 
them. 

6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the 
streets thereof with the slain. 

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; your slain whom ye have 
laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron, 
but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. 

8 Ye have feared the sword ; and I will bring a sword upon you, 
saith the Lord God. 

9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you 
into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among 
you. 

10 Ye shall fall by the sword ; I will judge you in the border of 
Israel ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 



292 



EzekUl 



11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the 
flesh in the midst thereof: but I will judge you in the border of 
Israel : 

12 And ye shall know that I am the Lord : for ye have not 
walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have 
done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you. 

IS If And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son 
of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a 
loud voice, and said, Ah Lord God ! wilt thou make a full end of the 
remnant of Israel ? 

14 *~ Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

15 Son of man. thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy 
kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get ye far from the Lord ; unto 
us is this land given in possession. 

16 Therefore say. Thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast 
them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them 
among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the 
countries where they shall come. 

17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, I will even gather 
you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where 
ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 

IS And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the 
detestable things thereof, and all the abominations thereof, from 
thence. 

19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit 
within you : and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and 
will give them an heart of flesh ; 

20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, 
and do them : and thev shall be my people, and I will be their 
God. 

21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their 
detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their 
way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God. 

22 II Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels 
beside them ; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them 
above. 

23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the 
city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the 
city. 

24 IT Afterward? the spirit took me up. and brought me in a vision 
by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity : so the 
vision that I had seen went up from me. 

25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the 
Lord had shewed me. 

ezekiel. xir. 

The type of EzekieV s removing, sheweth the captivity of Zedekiah. 
EzekieVs trembling sheweth the Jews' desdation. 

1 The word of the Lord also came unto me, savins:, 

2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, 



Ezekiel. 



293 



which have eyes to see, and see not ; they have ears to hear, and 
hear not : for they are a rebellious house. 

3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and 
remove by day in their sight ; and thou shalt remove from thy place 
to another place in their sight : it may be they will consider, though 
they be a rebellious house. 

4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as 
stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as 
they that go forth into captivity. 

5 Dig thou through the wall in their sights and carry out 
thereby. 

6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry 
it forth in the twilight : thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see 
not the ground ; for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of 
Israel. 

7 And I did so as I was commanded : I brought forth my stuff by 
day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the 
wall with mine hand ; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare 
it upon my shoulder in their sight. 

8 U And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, 
saying, 

9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house? 
mid unto thee, What doest thou ? 

10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, This burden 
ioncerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that 
are among them. 

11 Say, I am your sign : like as I have done, so shall it be done 
unto them : they shall remove and go into captivity. 

12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder 
in the twilight, and shall go forth : they shall dig through the wall to 
carry out thereby : he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground 
with his eyes. 

13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in 
my snare : and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chal- 
deans ; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. 

14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to 
help him, and all his bands ; and I will draw out the sword after 
them. 

15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter 
them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. 

16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the 
famine, and from the pestilence ; that they may declare all their 
abominations, among the heathen whither they come ; and they shall 
know that I am the Lord. 

17 *7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water 
with trembling and with carefulness. 

19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God 
of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel ; They shall 
eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonish- 
ment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because 
of the violence of all them that dwell therein. 



Ezekieh 



20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the 
land shall be desolate ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

21 If And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of 
Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth ? 

23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God ; I will make this 
proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel ; 
but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every 
vision. 

24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divina- 
tion within the house of Israel. 

25 For I am the Lord r I will speak, and the word that I shall 
speak shall come to pass ; it shall be no more prolonged : for in your 
days, rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, 
saith the Lord God. 

26 11 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision 
that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the 
times that are far off. 

28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; there shall 
none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have 
spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL, XIII. 

The reproof of lying prophets, and their untempered mortar. Of 
the prophetesses, and their pillows. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, 
and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear 
ye the word of the Lord : 

3 Thus saith the Lord God, "Woe unto the foolish prophets, that 
follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing ! 

4 Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. 

5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge- 
for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the 
Lord. 

6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord 
saith ; and the Lord hath not sent them : and they have made others 
to hope that they would confirm the word. 

7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying 
divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not 
spoken ? 

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have spoken 
vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the 
Lord God. 

9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and 
that divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of my people, 
neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, 
neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know 
that I am the Lord God. 

10 IT Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, 



Ezehiel. 



295 



Peace ; and there was no peace ; and one built up a wall, and, lo, 
others daubed it with untempered mortar : 

11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it 
shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, great 
hailstones, shall fall : and a stormy wind shall rend it. 

12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where 
is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it ? 

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will even rend it with a 
stormy wind in my fury ; and there shall be an overflowing shower 
in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. 

14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with 
untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the 
foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall 
be consumed in the midst thereof : and ye shall know that I am the 
Lord. 

15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon 
them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and I will say 
unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it ; 

16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning 
Jerusalem and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no 
peace, saith the Lord God. 

17 IT Likewise thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters 
of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart ; and prophesy 
thou against them. 

18 And say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Woe to the women that 
sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of 
every stature to hunt souls ! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, 
and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you ? 

19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley 
and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die. and to 
save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people 
that hear your lies ? 

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against your 
pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I 
will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the 
souls that ye hunt to make them fly. 

21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of 
your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted, and 
ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, 
whom I have not made sad ; and strengthened the hands of the 
wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising 
him life : 

23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divination? : 
for I will deliver my people out of your hand : and ye shall know that 
I am the Lord. 

EZEKIEL, XTV. 

God*s answer to idolaters. His sentence. A remnant shall be 

saved. 

1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before 
me. 



296 



Ezekiel 



2 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying* 

3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and 
put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face : should I 
be inquired of at all by them ? 

4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the 
Lord God, Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols 
in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before 
his face, and cometh to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him that 
cometh according to the multitude of his idols ; 

5 That 1 may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because 
they are all estranged from me through their idols. 

6 IT Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord 
God, Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols ; and turn away 
your faces from all your abominations. 

7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that 
sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth 
up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his 
iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him 
concerning me ; I the Lord will answer him by myself: 

8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a 
sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my 
people ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I 
the Lord have deceived that prophet ; and 1 will stretch out my hand 
upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people 
Israel. 

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity : the pun- 
ishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that 
seeketh unto him ; 

11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither 
be polluted any more with all their transgressions ; but that they 
may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God. 

12 IT The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 

13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing 
grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break 
the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will 
cut off man and beast from it. 

14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, 
they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith 
the Lord God. 

15 H If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they 
spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through 
because of the beasts : 

16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord 
God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters ; they only shall 
be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. 

17 IT Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go 
through the land ; so that I cut off' man and beast from it : 

18 Though these three men ivere in it, as 1 live, saith the Lord 
God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only 
shall be delivered themselves. 

19 IT Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury 
upcsi it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast : 



Ezehiel. 



297 



20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live saith the 
Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter ; they shall 
but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. 

21 For thus saith the Lord God ; How much more when I send 
my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, 
and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and 
beast ? 

22 M Yet, behold therein shall be left a remnant that shall be 
brought forth, both sons and daughters : behold, they shall come forth 
unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings : and ye shall 
be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jeru- 
salem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 

23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their 
doings : and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all 
that I have done in it, saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL, XV. 

By the unfitness of the vine branch for any work, is shewed the 
rejection of Jerusalem. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than 
a branch which is among the trees of the forest ? 

3 Shall w T ood be taken thereof to do any work ? Or will men take 
a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon ? 

4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel ; the fire devoureth both 
the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any 
work ? 

5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work : how much 
less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured 
it, and it is burned ? 

6 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; As the vine tree among 
the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will 
I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

7 And I will set my face against them ; they shall go out from 
one fire, and another fire shall devour them ; and ye shall know that 
I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. 

8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed 
a trespass, saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL, XVI. 

By a wretched infant is shewed the state of Jerusalem; God's love 

to her. 

1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem ; Thy birth 
and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan ; thy father was an Amorite, 
and thy mother an Hittite. 

4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy naval was 
not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee ; thou was 
not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 

5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have com- 

25 



298 



Ezekiel. 



passion upon thee ; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the 
loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 

6 IT And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine 
own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live ; yea, 
I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 

7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou 
hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent orna- 
ments : thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas 
thou wast naked and bare. 

8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy 
time was the time of love ; and I spread my skirt over thee, and 
covered thy nakedness : yea, 1 sware unto thee, and entered into a 
covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. 

9 Then washed I thee with water ; yea, I thoroughly washed 
away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 

10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with 
badger's skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered 
thee with silk. 

11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon 
thine hands, and a chain on thy neck. 

12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and ear-rings in thine ears, 
and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 

13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver ; and thy raiment 
was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work : thou didst eat fine 
flour, and honey, and oil ; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and 
thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 

14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty : 
for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon 
thee, saith the Lord God. 

15 IF But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the 
harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on 
every one that passed by ; his it was. 

16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high 
places with diverse colors, and playedst the harlot thereupon : the 
like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 

17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, 
which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and 
didst commit whoredom with them ; 

18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them : and 
thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 

19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and 
honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a 
sweet savor : and thus it was, saith the Lord God. 

20 Moreover, thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom 
thou hast born unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to 
be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 

21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause 
them to pass through the fire for them ? 

22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not 
remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, 
and wast polluted in thy blood. 

23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto 
thee ! saith the Lord God ;) 



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299 



24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast 
made thee an high place in every street. 

25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and 
hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to 
every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. 

26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy 
neighbors, great of flesh ; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to 
provoke me to anger. 

27 Behold, therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, and 
have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the 
will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which 
are ashamed of thy lewd way. 

28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because 
thou wast insatiable ; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and 
j*et couldest not be satisfied. 

29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of 
Canaan unto Chaldea ; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. 

30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou 
doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman ; 

31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every 
way, and makest thine high place in every street ; and hast not been 
as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire ; 

32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, w hich take th strangers 
instead of her husband ! 

33 They give gifts to all whores : but thou givest thy gifts to all 
thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every 
side for thy whoredom. 

34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whore- 
doms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms : and in 
that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, there- 
fore thou art contrary. 

35 *7 Wherefore, 6 harlot, hear the word of the Lord : 

36 Thus saith the Lord God ; Because thy filthiness was poured 
out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy 
lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of 
thy children, which thou didst give unto them ; 

37 Behold, therefore, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou 
hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them 
that thou hast hated ; I will even gather them round about against 
thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see 
all thy nakedness. 

38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed 
blood are judged ; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. 

39 I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down 
thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places : they 
shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and 
leave thee naked and bare. 

40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they 
shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their 
swords. 

41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judg- 
ments upon thee in the sight of many women : and I will cause thee 



300 



Ezekiel. 



to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any 
more. 

42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy 
shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more 
angry. 

43 Beeause thou hast not remembered the days of thy }*outh, but 
hast fretted me in all these things ; behold, therefore, I also will 
recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God : and 
thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations. 

44 *7 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb 
against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. 

45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and 
her children ; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which loathed 
their husbands and their children : your mother was an Hittite, and 
your father an Amorite. 

46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that 
dwell at thy left hand : and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy 
right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 

47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their 
abominations ; but as if that were a very little thing, thou wast cor- 
rupted more than they in all thy ways. 

48 As 1 live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, 
she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 

49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness 
of bread, and abundance of idleness, was in her and in her daughters* 
neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 

50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me : 
therefore I took them away as I saw good. 

51 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins ; but thou hast 
multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified rhy 
sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. 

52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own 
shame, for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than 
they : they are more righteous than thou ; yea, be thou confounded 
also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters. 

53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom 
and her daughters, and" the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, 
then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of 
them ; 

54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be con- 
founded in all that thou hast done, in that thou arc a comfort unto 
them. 

55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return ta 
their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to 
their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your 
former estate. 

56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the 
day of thy pride. 

57 Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of 
thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round- 
about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which depise thee rouad 
about. 



Ezehiel. 



301 



58 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the 
Lord. 

59 For thus saith the Lord God ; I will even deal with thee as 
thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the cove- 
nant. 

60 IT Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the 
days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting cove- 
nant. 

61 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when 
thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger : and 
I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. 

62 And I will establish my covenant with thee ; and thou shalt 
know that I am the Lord : 

63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never 
open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am 
pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord 
God. 

EZEKIEL, XVII. 

By two eagles and a vine, is shewed God's judgment upon Jeru- 
salem. God promiseth to plant the cedar of the gospel. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the 
house of Israel ; 

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God ; A great eagle with great 
wings, long- winged, full of feathers, which had diverse colors, 
came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar : 

4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into 
a land of traffic ; he set it in a city of merchants. 

5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful 
field ; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. 

6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose 
branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him : 
so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth 
sprigs. 

7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many 
feathers : and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and 
shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the 
furrows of her plantation. 

8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring 
forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly 
vine. 

9 Say^thou, Thus saith the Lord God ; Shall it prosper ? Shall 
he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it 
wither ? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring even without 
great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 

10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper ? Shall it not utterly 
wither, when the east wind toucheth it ? It shall wither in the 
furrows where it grew. 

11 IT Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things 
mean ? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, 

25 * 



EzekieL 



and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led 
them with him to Babylon ; 

13 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with 
him, and hath taken an oath of him : he hath also taken the mighty 
of the land : 

14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, 
but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 

15 But he rebelled against him, in sending his ambassadors into 
Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people : shall he 
prosper ? shall he escape that doeth such things ? or shall he break 
the covenant, and be delivered ? 

16 As 1 live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the 
king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and 
whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he 
shall die. 

17 Neither shall Pharaoh, with his mighty army and great com- 
pany, make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building 
forts, to cut off many persons : 

18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, 
lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he'shall not 
escape. 

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, As I live, surely mine oath 
that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it 
will I recompense upon his own head. 

20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in 
my snare ; and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him 
there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 

21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, 
and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds; and ye 
shall know that I the Lokd have spoken it. 

22 IT Thus saith the Lord God, I will also take of the highest branch 
of the high cedar, and will set it ; I wiU crop off from the top of his 
young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain 
and eminent. 

23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it ; and it 
shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and 
under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; in the shadow of the 
branches thereof shall they dwell. 

24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have 
brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried 
up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish ; I the 
Lord have spoken, and have done it. 

EZEKIEL, XVIII, 

God disallovjeth the parable of sour grapes: he defendeth the 
equity of his dealings, and exhorteth to repentance. 

1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saj 7 ing, 

2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of 
Israel, saying. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's 
teeth are set on edge ? 

3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any 
more to use this proverb in Israel. 



Ezekiel 



303 



4 Behold, all souls are mine ; as the soul of the father, so also the 
soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 

51 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 

6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up 
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his 
neighbor's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 

7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his 
pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the 
hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment ; 

8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken 
any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath 
executed true judgment between man and man, 

9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to 
deal truly ; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. 

10 IT If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and 
that doeth the like to any one of these things. 

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten 
upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife, 

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence 3 
hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols^ 
hath committed abomination, 

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase : shall 
he then live ? He shall not live ; he hath done all these abomina- 
tions ; he shall surely die ; his blood shall be upon him. 

14 IT Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins 
which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 

15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted 
up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his 
neighbor's wife, 

16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, 
neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the 
hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 

17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not 
received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath 
walked in my statutes : he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, 
he shall surely live. 

18 As fpr his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his 
brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, 
lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 

19 IT Yet say ye, Why ? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the 
father ? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and 
hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the 
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the 
son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the 
wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath com- 
mitted, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and 
right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be 
mentioned unto him : in his righteousness that he hath done he shall 
live. 

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? saith 



304 



Ezekiel* 



the Lord God ; and not that he should return from his ways, and 
live ? 

24 IT But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness 5 
and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations 
that the wicked man doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness that 
he hath done shall not be mentioned : in his trespass that he hath 
trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he 
die. 

25 U Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, 
O house of Israel, Is not my way equal ? are not your ways une- 
qual ? 

26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, 
and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them ; for his iniquity that he 
hath done shall he die. 

27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wicked- 
ness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and 
right, he shall save his soul alive. 

28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his trans- 
gressions that he hath committed he shall surely live, he shall not 
die. 

29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not 
equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your 
ways unequal ? 

30 Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, every one accord- 
ing to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves 
from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 

31 IT Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have 
transgressed ; and make you a new heart and a new spirit : for why 
will ye die, O house of Israel? 

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the 
Lord God : wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. 

EZEKIEL, XIX. 

A lamentation for the princes of Israel, under the parable of lions' 
whelps taken in a pit. 

1 Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Is- 
rael, 

2 And say, What is thy mother ? A lioness : she lay down among 
lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. 

. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps : it became a young lion, 
and it learned to catch the prey ; it devoured men. 

4 The nations also heard of him ; he was taken in their pit, and 
they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. 

5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, 
then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. 

6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young 
lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. 

7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their 
cities ; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the 
noise of his roaring. 

8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the prov- 
inces, and spread their net over him : he was taken in their pit. 



Ezekiel. 



305 



9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the 
king of Babylon ; they brought him into holds, that his voice should 
no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. 

10 IT Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters : 
she was fruitful, and full of branches, by reason of many waters. 

11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, 
and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she ap- 
peared in her height with the multitude of her branches. 

12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the 
ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rods were 
broken and withered, the fire consumed them. 

13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty 
ground. 

14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath 
devoured her fruit ; so that she bath no strong rod to be a sceptre to 
rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. 

EZEKIEL, XX. B. C. 592, 

God refuseth to be consulted by the elders of Israel: the story of 
their rebellion : he promiseth to gather them. 

1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the 
tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to 
inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. 

2 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, 

3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them a 
Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye come to inquire of me ? As I 
live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. 

4 IT Wilt thou judge them, son of man? wilt thou judge them? 
cause them to know the abominations of their fathers ; 

5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when 
I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of 
Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, 
when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your 
God; 

6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them 
forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had espied for them 3 
flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands ; 

7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abomina- 
tions of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt : 
I am the Lord your God. 

8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me : 
they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, 
neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt : then I said, I will pour 
out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the 
midst of the land of Egypt. 

9 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted 
before the heathen, among whom they ivere, in whose sight I made 
myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of 
Egypt- 

10 IT Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, 
and brought them into the wilderness, 



306 



Ezekiel. 



11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, 
which if a man do he shall even live in them. 

12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between 
me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify 
them. 

13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness : 
they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, 
which if a man do, he shall even live in them : and my sabbaths 
they greatly polluted : then I said, 1 would pour out my fury upon 
them in the wilderness to consume them. 

14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be pol- 
luted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. 

15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that 
I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flow- 
ing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands ; 

16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my 
statutes, but polluted my sabbaths : for their heart went after their 
idols. 

17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, 
neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. 

18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not 
in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor 
defile yourselves with their idols : 

19 I am the Lord your God ; walk in my statutes, and keep my 
judgments, and do them ; 

20 And hallow my sabbaths ; and they shall be a sign between me 
and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. 

21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me : they walked 
not in my statutes neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a 
man do, he shall even live in them ; they polluted my sabbaths : 
then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my 
anger against them in the wilderness. 

22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my 
name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, 
in whose sight I brought them forth. 

23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I 
would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through 
the countries ; 

24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised 
my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after 
their fathers' idols. 

25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and 
judgments whereby they should not live : 

26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to 
pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make 
them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the 
Lord. 

27 IT Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and 
say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Yet in this your fathers 
have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against 
me. 

28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I 
lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high 



Ezekiel. 



307 



hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, 
and there they presented the provocation of their offering : there also 
they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink- 
offerings. 

29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye 
go? And the name thereof is called Eamah unto this day. 

30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord 
God ; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers ? and commit 
ye whoredom after their abominations ? 

31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass 
. , through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto 

this day : and shall I be inquired of by you, house of Israel ? As 
I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. 

32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that 
ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, 

; to serve wood and stone. 

33 M As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, 
and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule 
over you : 

34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you 
out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand 
and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. 

35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and 
. there will I plead with you face to face. 

36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the 
land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. 

37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and 1 will bring 
you into the bond of the covenant : 

j j 38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels and them that 
transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country 

7 where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel : 
and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

p 39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God ; Go ye, 
serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken 
unto me : but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and 

{ j with your idols. 

40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of 
Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of 

^ j them in the land serve me : there will I accept them, and there will 
I require your offerings, and the first fruits of your oblations, with all 
your holy things. 

41 I will accept you with your sweet savor, when I bring you out 
from the people, and gather you out of the countries w T herein ye 
have been scattered ; and I will be sanctified in you before the 

i? heathen. 

42 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you 
into the land of Israel, into the country for the *which I lifted up 
mine hand to give it to your fathers. 

43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, 
' 4 \ wherein ye have been defiled ; and ye shall loathe yourselves in 

your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. 

44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, w 7 hen I have wrought 
! with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways. 



308 



Ezekiel. 



nor according to your corrupt doings, ye house of Israel, saith the 
Lord God. 

45 5: Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word 
toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south 

field; 

47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord ; 
Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and 
it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree ; the 
flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to 
the north shall be burned therein. 

48 And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it : it shall 
not be quenched. 

49 Then said I, Ah Lord, God! they say of me, Doth he not 
speak parables ? 

EZEKIEL, XXI. 

Ezekiel prophesieth against Jerusalem. The sharp and bright 

sword. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word 
toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 

3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold. I 
am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and 
will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 

4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the 
wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against 
all flesh from the south to the north ; 

5 That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my 
sword out of his sheath : it shall not return any more. 

6 Sigh, therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; 
and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. 

7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest 
thou ? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings, because it cometh ; 
and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble-, and every 
spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water : behold, it 
cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God. 

8 H Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord ; Say, A 
sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished : 

10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter ; it is furbished that it 
may glitter : should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of 
my son as every tree. 

11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled : 
this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand 
of the slayer. 

12 Cry and howl, son of man ; for it shall be upon my people, it 
shall be upon all the princes of Israel ; terrors, by reason of the 
sword, shall be upon my people : smite therefore upon thy thigh. 

13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the 
rod ? it shall be no more, saith the Lord God. 

14 Thou, therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands 



EzekieL 



together and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of 
the slain : it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which 
entereth into their privy chambers. 

15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that 
their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied : ah ! it is made 
bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. 

16 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the 
left, whithersoever thy'face is set. 

17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury 
io rest : I the Lord have said it. •* 

18 IT The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 

19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword 
of the king of Babylon may come : both twain shall come forth out 
of one land ; and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the 
way to the city. 

20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the 
Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. 

21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the 
head of the two ways, to use divination : he made his arrows bright, 
he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. 

22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint 
captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with 
shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, 
and to build a fort. 

23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to 
them that have sworn oaths : but he will call to remembrance the 
iniquity, that they may be taken. 

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have made 
your iniquity to be remembered, in th.it your transgressions are 
discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear ; because, 
I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the 
hand. 

25 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, 
when iniquity shall have an end, 

26 Thus saith the Lord God ; Remove the diadem, and take off 
the crown ; this shall not be the same : exalt him that is low, and 
abase him that is high. 

27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it ; and it shall be no more, 
until he come whose right it is ; and I will give it him. 

28 % And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the 
Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach ; 
even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn : for the slaughter it 

\ is furbished, to consume because of the glittering : 

29 While they see vanity unto thee, while they divine a lie unto 
thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the 

: wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an 
end. 

30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath ? I will judge thee in 
I the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. 

31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow 
t against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand 

of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 

32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire ; thy blood shall be in the 

26 



310 



Ezehiel. 



midst of the land, thou shalt be no more remembered : for I the 
Lord have spoken it. 

B. C. 591. EZEKIEL, XXII. 

A catalogue of sins in Jerusalem. God will burn them as dross m 
his furnace. 

1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came tfato me, saying, 

2 Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the 
bloody city? Yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. 

3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God ; The city sheddeth 
blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols 
against herself to defile herself. 

4 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed ; and 
hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made ; and thou 
hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years : 
therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a 
mocking to all countries. 

5 Those that be near, and those that be far from thee shall mock 
thee which art infamous and much vexed, 

6 Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their 
power to shed blood. 

7 In thee have they set light by father and mother : in the midst 
of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger : in thee 
have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. 

8 Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sab- 
baths. 

9 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they 
eat upon the mountains : in the midst of thee they commit lewd- 
ness : 

10 In thee have they discovered their father's nakedness : in thee 
have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. 

11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbor's wife; 
and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law ; and another in 
thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. 

12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood ; thou hast taken 
usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbor by 
extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. 

13 IT Behold, therefore, I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest 
gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the 
midst of thee. 

14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the 
days that I shall deal with thee ? I the Lord have spoken it, and 
will do it. 

15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee 
in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. 

16 And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of 
the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 

17 M And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross : all 
they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the fur- 
nace ; they are even the dross of silver. 

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye are all become 



EzehieL 



dross, behold therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusa- 
lem. 

20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, 
into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so 
will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you 
there, and melt you. 

21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my 
wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. 

22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be 
melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have 
poured out my fury upon you. 

23 IT And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, 
nor rained upon in the day of indignation. 

25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like 
a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they 
have taken the treasure and precious things ; they have made her 
many widows in the midst thereof. 

26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine 
holy things : they have put no difference between the holy and pro- 
fane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and 
the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am 
profaned among them. 

27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the 
prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. 

28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, 
seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the 
Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. 

29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised 
robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy ; yea, they have op- 
pressed the stranger wrongfully. 

30 And I sought for a man among them that should make up the 
hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not 
destroy it ; but I found none. 

31 Therefore have 1 poured out mine indignation upon them ; I 
have consumed them with the fire of my wrath : their own way 
have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God, 

EZEK1EL, XXIII. 

The whoredoms of Ahoiah and Aholibah : Aholibah is to be plagued 
by her lovers : their judgments. 
1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 
| 2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one 
mother : 

3 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt ; they committed 
whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and 
there they bruised the teats of their virginity. 

4 And the names of them were Ahoiah the elder, and Aholibah 
her sister ; and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters, 
Thus vjere their names ; Samaria is Ahoiah, and Jerusalem Aho3u= 
bah. 



312 



EzehieL 



5 And Aholah, played the harlot when she was mine ; and she 
doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors, 

6 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them 
desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. 

7 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them 
that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she 
doted : with all their idols she defiled herself. 

8 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt : for in her 
youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, 
and poured their whoredom upon her. 

9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into 
the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. 

10 These discovered her nakedness : they took her sons and her 
daughters, and slew her with the sword : and she became famous 
among women : for they had executed judgment upon her. 

11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt 
in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her 
sister in her whoredoms. 

12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and rulers 
clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them 
desirable young men. 

13 Then I saw that she was defiled, thai they took both one 

wa Y>~ ^ •- - ' • > •' : -\ 

14 And that she increased her whoredoms : for when she saw men 
pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed 
with vermillion, 

15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire 
upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of 
the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity : 

16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon 
them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. 

17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they 
defiled her with their whoredom ; and she was polluted with them ? 
and her mind was alienated from them. 

18 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her naked- 
ness : then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was 
alienated from her sister. 

19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance 
the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land 
of Egypt. 

20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh fa as the flesh 
of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. 

21 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, 
in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. 

22 11 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I 
will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alien- 
ated, and 1 will bring them against thee on every side ; 

23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and 
Koa, and all the Assyrians with them : all of them desirable young 
men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them 
riding upon horses. 

24 And they shall come up against thee with chariots, wagons, 
and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against 



EzekieL 



313 



thee buckler, and shield, and helmet, round about : and I wiil set 
judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their 
judgments. 

25 And I will set my jealousy against thee : and they shall deal 
furiously with thee : they shall take away thy nose and" thine ears ; 
and thy remnant shall fall by the sword : they shall take thy sons 
and thy daughters ; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. 

26 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy 
fair jewels. 

27 Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy 
whoredom brought from the land of Egypt : so that thou shalt not 
lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more. 

23 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will deliver thee into 
the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from 
whom thy mind is alienated : 

29 And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all 
thy labor, and shall leave thee naked and bare ; and the nakedness of 
thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy 
whoredoms. 

SO I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a 
whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their 
idols. 

31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy. sister ; therefore will I 
give her cup into thine hand. 

32 Thus saith the Lord God, Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup 
deep and large : thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision : 
it containeth much. 

33 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the 
cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Sa-; 
maria. 

34 Thou shalt even chink it, and suck it out, and th-su shalt break 
the sherds thereof, pluck of! thine own breasts : for I have spoken it, 
saith the Lord God. 

35 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten 
me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewd- 
ness and thy whoredoms. 

36 The Lord said moreover unto me ; Son of man, wilt thou 
judge Aholah and Aholibah ? Yea, declare unto them their abom- 
inations ; 

37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, 
and with their idols have they committed adultery : and have also 
caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through 
the fire, to devour them. 

38 Moreover, this they have done unto me : they have defiled my 
sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. 

39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they 
came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it ; and, lo, thus 
have they done in the midst of mine house. 

40 And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, 
unto whom a messenger was sent : and, lo, they came : for whom 
thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with 
ornaments, 

26* 



314 Ezekiel. Zedekiah. Jeremiah. 



41 And sattest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, 
whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. 

42 And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her : and 
with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the 
wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful 
crowns upon their heads. 

43 Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, will they now 
commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? 

44 Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that 
playeth the harlot; so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, 
the lewd women. 

45 r And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the 
manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed 
blood ; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. 

46 For thus saith the Lord God ; I will bring up a company upon 
them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled. 

47 And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch 
them with their swords ; they shall slay their sons and their daugl> 
ters, and burn up their nouses with fire. 

48 Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all 
women may be taught not to do after your lewdness. 

49 And the\* shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye 
shall bear the sins of your idols : and ye shall know that I am the 
Lord God. 

B. C. 590. 2 Kiyes. xxv. 

1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth 
month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of 
Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched 
against it; and they built forts against it round about, 

JEREMIAH, XXXVII, 

1 And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned instead of Coniah- 
the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made 
king in the land of Judah. 

2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did 
hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet 
Jeremiah. 

3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, and 
Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, 
saying. Pray now unto the Lord our God for us. 

4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people ; for 
they had not put him into prison. 

EZEKIEE, XXIV. 

By a boiling pot , is shewed Jerusalem' s destruction. By EzekieVs 
not mourning for his icife, is shelved the Jews' 1 calamity to be 
beyond all sorrow. 

1 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of 
the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 



Ezekiel. 



315 



2 Son of man, Write thee the name of the day, even of this same 
day : the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same 
day. 

3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, 
Thus saith the Lord God, Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water 
into it : 

4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the 
thigh, and the shoulder \ fill it with the choice bones. 

5 Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, 
and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. 

6 IT Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the bloody city, to 
the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! 
bring it out piece by piece ; let no lot fall upon it. 

7 For her blood is in the midst of her ; she set it upon the top of 
a rock ; she poured it not upon the ground to cover it with dust ; 

8 That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance ; I 
have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be 
covered. 

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the bloody city ! I 
will even make the pile for fire great. 

10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it 
w T ell, and let the bones be burnt. 

11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it 
may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten 
in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. 

12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went 
not forth out of her : her scum shall be in the fire. 

13 In thy filthiness is lewdness : because I have purged thee, and 
thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness 
any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. 

14 I the Lord have spoken it ; it shall come to pass, and I will do 
it ; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent : 
according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge 
thee, saith the Lord God. 

15 U Also- the word of the Lob.d came unto me, saying, 

16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine 
eyes with a stroke : yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither 
shall thy tears run down. 

17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire 
of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and 
cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 

18 So I spake unto the people in the morning ; and at even my 
wife died : and 1 did in the morning as I was commanded. 

19 11 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these 
things are to us, that thou doest so ? 

20 Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, 
saying, 

21 Speak' unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Be- 
hold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, 
the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth ; and your 
sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the 
sword. 



316 



EzekieL 



22 And ye shall do as I have done : ye shall not cover yonr lips, 
nor eat the bread of men. 

23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon 
your feet : ye shall not mourn nor weep ; but ye shall pine away for 
your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. 

24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign : according to all that he hath 
done shall ye do ; and when this coineth, ye shall know that I am the 
Lord God. 

25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take 
from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their 
eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their 
daughters, 

26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to 
cause thee to hear it with thine ears ? 

27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, 
and thou shait speak, and be no more dumb : and thou shalt be a sign 
unto them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

EZEKIEL, XXV. 

God's vengeance on the Ammonites for their insolence against the 
Jews, 8fc. 

1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy 
against them : 

3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God ; 
Thus saith the Lord God, Because thou saidst, Aha, against my 
sanctuary, when it was profaned ; and against the land of Israel, when 
it was desolate ; and against the house of Judah, when they went into 
captivity : 

4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a 
possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their 
dwellings in thee : they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy 
inilk. 

5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammon- 
ites a couching place for flocks : and ye shall know that I am the 
Lord. 

6 For thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast clapped thine 
hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all 
thy despite against the land of Israel ; 

7 Behold, therefore, I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and 
will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen ; and I will cut thee off 
from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries. 
I will destroy thee ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 

8 IT Thus saith the Lord God ; Because that Moab and Seir do 
say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen ; 

9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities; 
from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, 
Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, 

10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give 
them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered 
among the nations. 



Jeremiah, Zedekiah. 



317 



11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab ; and they shall know 
that I am the Lord. 

12 IT Thus saith the Lord God, Because that Edorn hath dealt 
against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly 
offended, and revenged himself upon them : 

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will also stretch out mine 
hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it ; and I will 
make it desolate from Teman ; and they of Dedan shall fall by the 
sword. 

14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my 
people Israel : and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger, 
and according to my fury ; and they shall know my vengeance, saith 
the Lord God. 

15 IT Thus saith the Lord God, Because the Philistines have dealt 
by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to 
destroy it for the old hatred ; 

16 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will stretch out 
mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and 
destroy the remnant upon the sea-coast. 

17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious 
rebukes ; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay 
my vengeance upon them. 

JEREMIAH, XXI. 

Zedekiah inquireth the event of Nebuchadrezzar's war. A hard 
siege foretold. 

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when king 
Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur, the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah, 
the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 

2 Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us, (for Nebuchadrezzar 
king of Babylon maketh war against us,) if so be that the Lord will 
deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up 
from us. 

3 r Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zede- 
kiah, 

4 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the 
weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against 
the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege 
you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this 
city. 

5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, 
and with a strong arm, even in anger and in fury, and in great 
wrath. 

6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast : 
they shall die of a great pestilence. 

7 And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of 
Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this 
city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the 
hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their 
enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life ; and he shall 
smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, 
neither have pity, nor have mercy. 



318 



Jeremiah. 



8 IT And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord. 
Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 

9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the 
famine, and by the pestilence : but he that goeth out, and falleth to 
the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be 
unto him for a prey. 

10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for 
good, saith the Lord ; it shall be given into the hand of the king of 
Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 

11 1f And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye 
the word of the Lord ; 

12 house of David, Thus saith the Lord, Execute judgment in 
the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the 
oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench 
it, because of the evil of your doings. 

13 Behold, I am against thee, 6 inhabitant of the valley, and rock 
of the plain, saith the Lord ; which say, Who shall come down 
against us ? or who shall enter into our habitations ? 

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, 
saith the Lord : and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it 
shall devour all things round about it. 

JEREMIAH, XXII. 

Jin exhortation to repentance. The judgment of Shallum, of 

Coniah. 

1 Thus saith the Lord ; Go down to the house of the king of 
Judah, and speak there this word, 

2 And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that 
sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy 
people that enter in by these gates : 

3 Thus saith the Lord ; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, 
and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor : and do no 
wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, 
neither shed innocent blood in this place. 

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the 
gates of this house, kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in 
chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. 

5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the 
Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. 

6 For thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah ; Thou 
art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon : yet surely I will 
make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. 

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his 
weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them 
into the fire. 

8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say 
every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto 
this great city ? 

9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the cove- 
nant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served 
them. 

10 X\ Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him : but weep 



Jeremiah. 



319 



sore for him that goeth away ; for he shall return no more, nor see 
his native country. 

11 For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum, the son of Josiah, 
king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which 
went forth out of this place ; He shall not return thither any more : 

12 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, 
and shall see this land no more. 

13 If Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and 
his chambers by wrong ; that useth his neighbor's service without 
wages, and giveth him not for his work ; 

14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, 
and cutteth him out windows ; and it is ceiled with cedar, and 
painted with vermillion. 

15 Shalt thou reign because thou closest thyself in cedar ? Did not 
thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it 
was well with him ? 

16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well 
with him s was not this to know me ? saith the Lord. 

17 But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, 
and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to 
do it. 

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim, the son of 
Josiah, king of Judah ; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my 
brother ! or, Ah sister ! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah 
lord ! or, Ah his glory ! 

19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast 
forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. 

20 IT Go up to Lebanon and cry ; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, 
and cry from the passages : for all thy lovers are destroyed. 

21 I spake unto thee in thy prosperity ; but thou saidst I will not 
hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst 
not my voice. 

22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go 
into captivity : surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for 
all thy wickedness. 

23 inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nests in the cedars, 
how-gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as 
of a woman in travail ! 

24 As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim 
king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck 
thee thence ; 

25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, 
and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the 
hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the 
Chaldeans. 

26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into 
another country, where ye were not born ; and there shall ye die. 

27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall 
they not return. 

23 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol ? Is he a vessel 
wherein is no pleasure ? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his 
seed, and are cast into a land which they know not ? - 

29 earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. 



320 



Jeremiah. 



30 Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man thai 
shall not prosper in his days : for no man of his seed shall prosper, 
sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. 

B. C. 589. JEREMIAH, XXXVII. 

5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt : and when 
the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they 
departed from Jerusalem. 

6. IF Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, 
saying, 

7 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the 
king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me ; Behold, 
Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to 
Egypt into their own land. 

8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, 
and take it, and burn it with fire. 

9 Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The 
Chaldeans shall surely depart from us : for they shall not depart. 

10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans 
that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among 
them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this 
city with fire. 

11 IT And it came to pass, that, when the army of the Chaldeans 
was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, 

12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land 
of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people, 

13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the 
ward ivas there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the 
son of Hananiah ; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou 
fallest away to the Chaldeans. 

14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false ; I fall not away to the Chal- 
deans. But he hearkened not to him : so Irijah took Jeremiah, and 
brought him to the princes. 

15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote 
him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe ; for 
they had made that the prison. 

16 IT When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the 
cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days ; 

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out ; and the kins: 
asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the 
Lord ? And Jeremiah said, There is : for, said he, thou shalt be 
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. 

18 Moreover, Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I 
offended against ihee, or against thy servants, or against this people, 
that ye have put me in prison ? 

19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, 
saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against 
this land ? 

20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king : let my 
supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee ; that, thou cause 
me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die 
there. 



Jeremiah. Zedelciah. 



•321 



21 Then Zedekiab the king commanded that they should commit 
Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him 
daily a piece of bread out of the baker's street, until all the bread in 
the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the 
prison. 

JEREMIAH, XXXVIII. 

Jeremiah is put into the dungeon. Ebed-melech getteth him some 
enlargement : his counsel to the king. 

1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of 
Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelerniah, and Pashur the son of Mal- 
chiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, 
saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord, He that remained! in this city shall die by 
the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence : but he that goeth 
forth to the Chaldeans shall live ; for he shall have his life for a prey, 
and shall live. 

3 Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the 
hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. 

4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let 
this man be put to death : for thus he weakeneth the hands of the 
men of war that remain in the city, and the hands of all the people, 
in speaking such words unto them : for this man seeketh not the 
welfare of this people, but the hurt. 

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand : for 
the king is not he that can do any thing against you. 

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Mal- 
chiah the son of Hammelech, that teas in the court of the prison : 
and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there 
was no water, but mire : so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. 

7 IT Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs 
which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in 
the dungeon ; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin ; 

8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to 
the king, saying, 

9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have 
done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dun- 
geon ; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is : for 
there is no more bread in the city. 

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, 
Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the 
prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 

11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the 
house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts, 
and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon xo 
Jeremiah. 

12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now 
these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes, under the 
cords. And Jeremiah did so. 

13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of 
the dungeon : and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. 

27 



322 



Zedekiah. Jerem iali . 



14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet 
unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the Lord : and the 
king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing ; hide nothing from 

me. 

15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If 1 declare it unto thee, 
wilt thou not surely put me to death ? and if I give thee counsel, 
wilt thou not hearken unto me ? 

16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As 
the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, 
neither will 1 give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy 
life, 

17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the 
God of hosts, the God of Israel, If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto 
the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city 
shall not he burnt with fire ; and thou shalt live, and thine house : 

18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, 
then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and 
ihey shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their 
hand. 

19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the 
Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their 
hand, and they mock me. 

20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I 
beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee : soil 
shall be well unto thee-, and thy soul shall live. 

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord 
hath shewed me : 

22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's 
house shall he brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and 
those wmnen shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have pre- 
vailed against thee : thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are 
turned away back. 

23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the 
Chaldeans ; and thou shalt not esc pe out of their hand, but shalt be 
taken by the hand of the king of Babylon : and thou shalt cause this 
city to be burnt with fire. 

24 IF Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these 
words, and thou shalt not die. 

25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they 
come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou 
hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee 
to death ; also what the king said unto thee : 

26 Then thou shalt say unto them, 1 presented my supplication 
before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's 
house, to -die there . 

27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him : and 
he told them according; to all these words that the king had com- 
manded. So they left off speaking with him : for the matter was not 
perceived. 

28 So Jeremiah abode In the court of the prison until the day that 
Jerusalem was taken : and he w r as there when Jerusalem was 
taken. 



Ezekiel. 



323 



EZEKIEL, XXIX. 

The judgment of Pharaoh, <$*c. 

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the 
month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and 
prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 

3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against 
thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst 
of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have 
made it for myself. 

4 But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of 
thy rivers to stick unto thy scales ; and I will bring thee up out of 
the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto 
thy scales. 

5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all 
the fish of thy rivers : thou shalt fall upon the open fields ; thou 
shalt not be brought together, nor gathered : I have given thee for 
meat to the beasts of the field, and to the fowls of the heaven. 

6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, 
because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 

7 When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and 
rend all their shoulder : and when they leaned upon thee thou 
brakest, and madest ail their loins to be at a stand. 

8 IF Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will bring a 
sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 

9 And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste ; and they 
shall know that I am the Lord : because he hath said, The river is 
mine, and I have made it. 

10 Behold, therefore, I am against thee, and against thy rivers, 
and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from 
the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 

11 Xo foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass 
through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 

12 And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the 
countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that 
are laid waste shall be desolate forty years : and I will scatter the 
Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the 
countries. 

13 IT Yet thus saith the Lord God, At the end of forty years will 
I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scat- 
tered : 

14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause 
them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habita- 
tion ; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 

15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms ; neither shall it exalt 
itself any more above the nations : for I will diminish them, that they 
shall no more rule over the nations, 

16 And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, 
which bringeth their iniquity tG remembrance, when they shall look 
after them : but they shall know that I am the Lord God, 



324 



Jeremiah. 



JEREMIAH, XXXII. 

Jeremiah' 's imprisonment : his complaint to God. The captivity 7 
confirmed. A promise of a gracious return. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth 
year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of 
Nebuchadrezzar. 

2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem : and 
Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which 
was in the king of Judah's house. 

3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore 
dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will 
give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take 
it; 

4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of 
the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king 
of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes 
shall behold his eyes ; 

5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be 
until I visit him, saith the Lord : though ye fight with the Chal- 
deans ye shall not prosper ? 

6 IT And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, 
saying, 

7 Behold, Hanameel, the son of Shallum, thine uncle, shall come 
unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth ; for the 
right of redemption is thine to buy it. 

8 So Hanameel, mine uncle's son, came to me in the court of the 
prison, according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy 
my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of 
Benjamin : for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption 
thine ; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of 
the Lord. 

9 And I bought the field of Hanameel, my uncle's son, that was 
in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of 
silver. 

10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, 
and weighed him the money in the balances. 

11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was 
sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open. 

12 And 1 gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch, the son 
of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel, mine 
uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the 
book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the 
prison. 

13 IT And I charged Baruch before them, saying, 

14 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Take these 
evidences, this evidence of the purchase, (both which is sealed,) and 
this evidence which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that 
they may continue many days : 

15 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Houses, 
and fields, and vineyards, shall be possessed again in this land. 

16 H Now, when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto 
Baruch. the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying, 



Jeremiah, 



325 



IT Ah, Lord God ! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the 
earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing 
too hard for thee : 

18 Thou shewest loving-kindness unto thousands, and recom- 
pensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children 
after them : the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his 
name ; 

19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work : (for thine eyes are operi 
upon all the ways of the sons of men; to give every one according 
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings :) 

20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even 
unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made 
thee a name, as at this day ; 

21 And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of 
Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and 
with a stretched-out arm, and with great terror ; 

22 And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their 
fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey ; 

23 And they came in, and possessed it ; but they obeyed not thy 
voice, neither walked in thy law : they have done nothing of all that 
thou commandedst them to do ; therefore thou hast caused all this evil 
to come upon them. 

24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it ; and 
the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans that fight against it, 
because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence : and 
what thou hast spoken is come to pass ; and, behold, thou seest it. 

25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord God, Buy thee the field for 
money, and take witnesses ; for the city is given into the hand of the 
Chaldeans. 

26 Tf Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 

27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any 
thing too hard for me ? 

28 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city 
into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar 
king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 

29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and 
set fire on this city, and burn it, with the houses upon whose roofs 
they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink-offerings 
unto other gods, to provoke rue to anger. 

30 For the children of Israel, and the children of Judah, have only 
done evil before me from their youth : for the children of Israel have 
only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the 
Lord. 

31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger 
and of my fury, from the day that they built it, even unto this day, 
that I should remove it from before my face ; 

32 Because of all the evil of the children of Israel, and of the 
children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, 
they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and 
the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

33 And they have turned unto me the-back, and not the face : 
though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they 
have not hearkened to receive instruction. 

27 * 



328 



Jeremiah, 



34 But they set their abominations in the house which is called by 
my name, to defile it. 

35 And the}- built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley 
of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass 
through the fire unto Moiech, which I commanded them not, neither 
came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause 
Judah to sin. 

36 % And now, therefore, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 
concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the 
hand of the king of Babylon, by the sword, and by the famine, and 
by the pestilence ; 

37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have 
driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath ; and 
I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to 
dwell sufel}- : 

38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God : 

39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may 
fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after 
them : 

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will 
not turn away from them to do them good ; but I will put my fear in 
their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 

41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant 
them in this land assuredly with my whole heart, and with my whole 
soul. 

42 For thus saith the Lord ; Like as I have brought all this great 
evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I 
have promised them. 

43 And the fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It 
is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the 
Chaldeans. 

44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and 
seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the 
places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities 
of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of 
the south : for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord, 

JEREMIAH, XXXIII. 

A gracious return promised. Christ the Branch of righteousness. 

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second 
time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, 
to establish it ; the Lord is his name. 

3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and 
mighty things, which thou knowest not. 

4 For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the 
houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, 
which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword ; 

5 They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them 
with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and 
in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from 
this city. 



Jeremiah. 



327 



6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, 
and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. 

7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of 
Israel to return, and will build them as at the first. 

8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they 
have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, where- 
by they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against 
me. 

9 IF And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honor 
before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that 
I do unto them : and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness 
and for all the prosperity that 1 procure unto it. 

10 Thus saith the Lord ; Again there shall be heard in this place, 
which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even 
in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are deso- 
late without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, 

11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness; the voice of the 
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride ; the voice of them that shall 
say, Praise the Lord of hosts : for the Lord is good ; for his mercy 
endureth for ever : and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of 
praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the 
captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord. 

12 IT Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Again in this place, which is 
desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, 
shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 

13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in 
the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places 
about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass 
again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord. 

14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform 
that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and 
to -the house of Judah. 

15 IT In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of 
righteousness to grow up unto David ; and he shall execute judg- 
ment and righteousness in the land. 

16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell 
safely : and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The 
Lord our righteousness. 

17 IT For thus saith the Lord ; David shall never want a man to 
sit upon the throne of the house of Israel ; 

18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to 
offer burnt-offerings, and to kindle meat-offerirgs, and to do sacrifice 
continually. 

19 U And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, 

20 Thus saith the Lord ; If ye can break my covenant of the 
day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day 
and night in their season ; 

21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, 
that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne ; and with the 
Levites the priests, my ministers. 

22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of 
the sea measured : so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, 
and the Levites that minister unto me. 



328 



Jeremiah. 



23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 

24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying. 
The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast 
them off? Thus they have despised my people, that they should be 
no more a nation before them. 

25 Thus saith the Lord ; If my covenant be not with day and 
night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and 
earth ; 

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my ser- 
vant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the 
seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob : for I will cause their captivity 
to return, and have mercy on them. 

JEREMIAH, XXXIV. 

Jeremiah prophesieth the captivity of Zedekiah, and of the city. 

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when 
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the king- 
doms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people fought against 
Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel ; Go and speak to Zede- 
kiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I 
will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall 
burn it with fire : 

3 And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be 
taken, and delivered into his hand ; and thine eyes shall behold the 
eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to 
mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. 

4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah ; 
Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: 

5 But thou shalt die in peace : and with the burnings of thy 
fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn 
odors for thee ; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord ! for I 
have pronounced the word, saith the Lord. 

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah 
king of Judah in Jerusalem, 

7 When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and 
against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and 
against Azekah : for these defenced cities remained of the cities of 
Judah. 

8 IT This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, 
after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people 
which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 

9 That every man should let his man-servant, and every man his 
maid-servant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free ; that 
none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 

10 Now, when all the princes, and all the people which had 
entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his man- 
servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should 
serve themselves of them any more ; then they obeyed, and let 
them go. 

11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the 



Jeremiah. 



329 



handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them 
into subjection for servants and for handmaids. 

12 *7 Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the 
Lord, saying, 

13 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I made a covenant 
with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the 
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, 

14 At the end of seven years, let ye go every man his brother an 
Hebrew, which hath been so!d unto thee ; and, when he hath served 
thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee : but your fathers 
hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. 

15 And ye were now turned, and had done rightly in my sight, in 
proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor : and ye had made a 
covenant before me in the house which is called by my name : 

16 But ye turned, and polluted my name, and caused every man 
his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty 
at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be 
unto you for servants and for handmaids. 

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Ye have not hearkened unto 
me, in proclaiming liberty every one to his brother, and every man 
to his neighbor : behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, 
to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine : and I will make 
you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 

18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, 
which have not performed the words of the covenant which they 
had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed 
between the parts thereof, 

19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the 
eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed 
between the parts of the calf ; 

20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into 
the hand of them that seek their life : and their dead bodies shall be 
for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the 
earth. 

21 And Zedekiah kins: of Judah, and his princes, will I give into 
the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their 
life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are 
gone up from you. 

22 Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to 
return to this city ; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and 
burn it with fire : and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation 
without an inhabitant. 

JEREMIAH, XXXIX. 

15 r Xow the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he 
was shut up in the court of the prison, savins, 

16 Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying. Thus 
saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring my 
words upon this city for evil, and not for good ; and they shall be 
accomplished in that day before thee. 

17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord : and thou 
shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 



330 



Jeremiah. Zedekiah. 



13 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the 
sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee : because thou hast 
put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. 

B. C. 588. JEREMIAH, XXXIX. 

Jerusalem is taken. Zedekiah made blind, and sent to Babylon. 
The city is ruined. The people are captivated. 

1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, 
came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against 
Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 

2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the 
ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 

3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in 
the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, 
Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the 
princes of the king of Babylon. 

4 !T And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah 
saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth 
out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the 
gate betwixt the two walls : and he went out the way of the plain. 

5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zede- 
kiah in the plains of Jericho : and when they had taken him, they 
brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah, in the 
land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. 

6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah 
before his eyes : also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Ju- 
dah. 

7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with 
chains, to carry him to Babylon. 

8 IT And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of 
the people, with tire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 

9 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away cap- 
tive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the 
city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the 
people that remained. 

10 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of 
the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them 
vineyards and fields at the same time. 

JEREMIAH, LII. 

Zedekiah rebelleth. Jerusalem is besieged and taken. Zedekiah's 
sons killed , fyc. 

1 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to 
reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's 
name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 

2 And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, ac- 
cording to all that Jehoiakim had done. 

3 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem 
and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah 
rebelled against the king of Babylon. 

4 IF And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth 



Jeremiah. 



331 



month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of 
Babylon, came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched 
against it, and built forts against it round about. 

5 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zede- 
kiah. 

6 And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the 
famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people 
of the land. 

7 Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and 
went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between 
the two walls, which was by the king's garden ; (now the Chaldeans 
were by the city round about :) and they went by the way of the 
plain. 

8 IT But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and 
overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho ; and aH his army was 
scattered from him. 

9 Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of 
Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath ; where he gave judgment 
upon him. 

10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his 
eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 

11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah ; and the king of Baby- 
lon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in 
prison till the day of his death. 

12 IT Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, 
which was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Baby- 
lon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king 
of Babylon, into Jerusalem, 

13 And burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house ; and 
all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great ?nen, 
burned he with fire. 

14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, that, were with the captain 
I of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. 

15 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away cap- 
tive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people 

I that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the 

I king of Bab3 r *lon, and the rest of the multitude. 

16 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the 

I I poor of the land for vine-dressers and for husbandmen. 

17 A|so the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, 
and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, 
the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of thern to Babylon. 

13 The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the 
bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they 
ministered, took they away. 

13 And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the cal- 
l drons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups ; that which 
was of gold in gold, and that-which was of silver in silver, took the 
jap tain of the gur.rd away, 
j, 20 The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brazen bulls that were 
, under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the 
j Lord : the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 

21 And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eigh- 



332 



Zedekiah. 



teen cubits ; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it ; and the 
thickness thereof was four fingers : it was hollow. 

22 And a chapiter of brass was upon it ; and the height of one 
chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the 
chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the 
pomegranates icere like unto these. 

23 ^And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side ; and all 
the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about. 

24 IT And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, 
and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door : 

25 He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge 
of the men of war ; and seven men of them that were near the 
king's person, which were found in the city ; and the principal scribe 
of the host, who mustered the people of the land ; and threescore 
men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the 
city. 

26 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and 
brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblafa. 

27 And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in 
Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away cap- 
tive out of his own land. 

28 This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive : 
in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty : 

29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar lie carried away 
captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons : 

30 In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, Xebuzar- 
adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews 
seven hundred forty and five persons : all the persons were four 
thousand and six hundred. 

2 KIXGS, XXV. 

2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zede- 
kiah. 

3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed 
in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 

4 IT And the city was broken up, and all the men of war lied by 
night, by the way of the gate, between two walls, which is by the 
king's garden ; (now the Chaldees were against the city round about ;) 
and the king went the way toward the plain. 

5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and over- 
took him in the plains of Jericho : and all his army were scattered 
from him. 

6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Baby- 
lon to Riblah ; and they gave judgment upon him. 

7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out 
the ej^es of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and car- 
ried him to Babylon. 

8 IT And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, 
(which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of 
Babylon,) came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the 
king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem : 

9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and 



Jeremiah, 



333 



all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great maris house burnt he 
with fire. 

10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that ivere with the captain 
of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 

11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the 
fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of 
the multitude, did !Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, carry 
away. 

12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be 
vine-dressers and husbandmen. 

13 And the pillars of brass that icere in the house of the Lord, 
and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, 
did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to 
Babylon. 

14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, 
and all the vessels of brass, wherewith they ministered, took they 
away. 

15 And the fire-pans, and the bowls, and such things as were of 
gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took 
away. 

16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had 
made for the house cf the Lord ; the brass of all these vessels was 
without weight. 

IT The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the 
chapiter upon it was brass : and the heighf of the chapiter three 
cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter 
round about, all of brass : and like unto these had the second pillar 
with wreathen work. 

18 If And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, 
and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door. 

19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men 
of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, 
which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, 
which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the 
people of the land that icere found in the city : 

20 And Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, took these, and brought 
them to the kin§c of Babylon to Riblah. 

21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and -slew them at Riblah, 
in the land of Iiamath. So Judah was carried away out of their 
land. 



2 cpmorsiCLES, xxxvi. 

15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messen- 
gers, rising up betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion on 
his people, and on his dwelling-place : 

16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his 
words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose 
against his people, till there was no remedy. 

IT Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who 
slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctu- 
ary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or 
him that stooped for age : he gave them all into his hand. 

•28 " 



334 



Jeremiah, 



18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and 
the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the 
king, and of his princes ; all these he brought to Babylon. 

19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of 
Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed 
all the goodly vessels thereof. 

20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to 
Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons, until the 
reign of the kingdom of Persia ; 

21 * To fulfil the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, 
until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths : for as long as she lay deso- 
late she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. 

JERE3IIAH, XXXIX. 

11 IT Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concern- 
ing Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying, 

12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do 
unto him even as he shall say unto thee. 

13 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushas- 
ban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, and all the king of 
Babylon's princes ; 

14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the 
prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son 
of Shaphan, that he should carry him home : so he dwelt among the 
people. 

2 KIXGS, XXV. 

22 IT And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, 
whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he 
made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son ot Shaphan, ruler. 

23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, 
heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there 
came to Gedaliah to Mizpah. even Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, 
and Johanan, the son of Careah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth 
the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah, the son of a Maachathite, they and 
their men. 

24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto 
them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees : dwell in the 
land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 

25 But it came to pass, in the seventh month, that fshmael, the 
son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and 
ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews 
and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. 

JERE3IIAH, XL. 

Jeremiah, being set free by Nebuzar-adan, goeth to Gedaliah: the 
dispersed Jews repair to him. Ishmac-rs conspiracy. 
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after that 



* See Jeremiah, xvii. 21—27. 



Jeremiah. 



335 



Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, 
when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were 
carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried 
away captive unto Babylon. 

2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him. 
The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 

3 Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath 
said : because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obey- 
ed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. 

4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which 
were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me 
into Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee ; but if it seem ill 
unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear : behold, all the 
land is before thee ; whither it seemeth good and convenient for 
thee to go, thither go. 

5 Now, while he was not yet gone back, he said. Go back also to 
Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of 
Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell 
with him among the people ; or go wheresoever it seemeth conve- 
nient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals 
and a reward, and let him go. 

6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam to Miz- 
pah, and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the 
land. 

7 11 Now, when all the captains of the forces which were in the 
fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had 
made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, governor in the land, and had 
committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor 
of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon ; 

8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael, the son 
of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah, and 
Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netopha- 
thite, and Jezaniah, the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 

9 And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. sware 
unto them, and to their men. saying, Fear not to serve the Chal- 
deans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall 
be well with you. 

10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chal- 
deans which will come unto us : but ye, gather ye wine, and sum- 
mer-fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your 

» |f cities that ye have taken. 

11 Likewise, when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the 
Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard 

: that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he 
had set over them Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; 

12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were 
driven, and came io the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, 
and gathered wine and summer-fruits very much. 

13 *~ Moreover, Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of 
the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, 

14 And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the 
i king of the Ammonites hath sent to Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah 5 

to slay thee r But Gedaliah. the son of Ahikam, believed them not. 



336 



Jeremiah. 



15 Then Johanan, the son of Kareah, spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah 
secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael, 
the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it : wherefore should 
he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should 
be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish ? 

16 But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said unto Johanan, the son of 
Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing ; for thou speakest falsely of 
Ishmael. 

JERE3IIAH, XLI. 

Ishmael treacherously killeth Gedaliah and others. Johanan recov- 
ereth the captives. 

1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael, the son 
of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes 
of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah, the son of 
Ahikam, to Mizpah ; and there they did eat bread together in Miz- 
pah. 

2 Then arose Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that 
were with him, and smote Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of 
Shaphan, with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon 
had made governor over the land. 

3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with 
Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and 
the men of war. 

4 And it came to pass, the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, 
and no man knew it, 

5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from 
Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their 
clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense 
in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord. 

6 And Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, went forth from Mizpah to 
meet them, weeping all along as he went : and it came to pass, as he 
met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahi- 
kam. 

7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that 
Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the 
midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him. 

8 But ten men were found among them, that said unto Ishmael, 
Slay us not ; for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of 
barky, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not 
among their brethren. 

9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the 
men (whom he had slain because of Gedaliah) ivas it which Asa the 
king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel ; and Ishmael, the 
son of Nethaniah, filled it with them that were slain. 

10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people- 
that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people 
that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzar-adan the captain of the 
guard had committed to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam : and IshraaeL 
the son of Nethaniah, carried them away captive, and departed to go 
over to the Ammonites. 

11 IF But when Johanan. the son of Kareah, and all the captains of 



Jeremiah, 



337 



the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael, the 
son of Nethaniah, had done, 

12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael, 
the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in 
Gibeon, 

13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with 
Ishmael saw Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the 
forces that were with him, then they were glad. 

14 So ail the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from 
Mizpah cast about, and returned, and went unto Johanan, the son of 
Kareah. 

15 But Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, escaped from Johanan with 
eight men, and went to the Ammonites. 

16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of 
the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom 
he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, 
after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men 
of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom 
he had brought again from Gibeon : 

17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, 
which is by Beth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 

18 Because of the Chaldeans : for they were afraid of them, be- 
cause Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of 
Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land* 

JEREMIAH, XLII. 

Johanan desireth Jeremiah to inquire of God, promising obedience; 
Jeremiah's ansiver. Their hypocrisy reproved, 

1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Ka- 
reah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the 
least even unto the greatest, came near, 

2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our 
supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord 
thy God, even for ail this remnant; (for we are left but a few of 
many, as thine eyes do behold us :) 

3 That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may 
walk, and the thing that we may do. 

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you ; 
behold,! will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; 
and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall an- 
swer you, I will declare it unto you ; I will keep nothing back from 
you. 

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful 
witness between us. If we do not even according to all things for 
the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. 

6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the 
voice of the Lord our God, to whom w r e send thee ; that it may be 
well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God. 

7 X And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord 
came unto Jeremiah. 

8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains 

28* 



338 



Jeremiah, 



of the forces which ivere with him, and all the people from the least 
even to the greatest, 

9 And said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 
unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him ; 

10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not 
pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up : for I 
repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 

11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; 
be not afraid of him, saith the Lord : for I am with you to save you r 
and to deliver you from his hand. 

12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy 
upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. 

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the 
voice of the Lord your God, - 

14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we 
shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hun- 
ger of bread ; and there will we dwell : 

15 And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of 
Judah, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel : If ye 
wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there ; 

16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, 
shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, 
whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt ; 
and there ye shall die. 

17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into 
Egypt to sojourn there ; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, 
and by the pestilence : and none of them shall remain or escape 
from the evil that I will bring upon them. 

18 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; As mine 
anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem ; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye 
shall enter into Egypt : and ye shall be an execration, and an aston- 
ishment, and a curse, and a reproach ; and ye shall see this place 
no more. 

19 1T The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah, 
Go ye not into Egypt : know certainly that I have admonished you 
this day. 

20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the 
Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God : and 
according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto 
us, and we will do it. 

21 And now I have this day declared it to you ; but ye have 
not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the 
which he hath sent me unto you. 

22 Now, therefore, know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, 
by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire 
to go, and to sojourn. 

JEREMTAH, XLIII. 

Johanan carrieth Jeremiah into Egypt. Jeremiah prophesieth the 
conquest of Egypt by the Babylonians. 
1 And it came to pass, that w T hen Jeremiah had made an end of 



Jeremiah. 



339 



speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, 
for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these 
words, 

2 Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of 
Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest 
falsely : the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into 
Egypt to sojourn there : 

3 But Baruch, the son of Neriah, setteth thee on against us, for to 
deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to 
death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. 

4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, 
and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the 
land of Judah. 

5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces, 
took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, 
whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah ; 

6 Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, 
and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had left 
with Gedahah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah 
the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. 

7 So they came into the land of Egypt : for they obeyed not the 
voice of the Lord : thus came they even to Tahpanhes. 

LAMENTATIONS, I. 

Jerusalem's misery for her sins : her complaint, and confession of 
God's righteous judgment. 

1 How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people ! how is 
she become as a widow ! she that ivas great among the nations, and 
princes among the provinces, how is she become tributary ! 

2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: 
among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her : all her friends 
have dealt treacherously with her ; they are become her enemies. 

3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of 
great servitude : she dwelleth among the heathen, she fmdeth no 
rest : all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. 

4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn 
feasts : all her gates are desolate : her priests sigh, her virgins are 
afflicted, and she is in bitterness. 

5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper ; for the 
Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions : her 
children are gone into captivity before the enemy. 

6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed : her 
princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone 
without strength before the pursuer. 

7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her 
miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when 
her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her : 
the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. 

8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned ; therefore she is removed ; 
all that honored her despise her, because they have seen her naked- 
ness ; yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. 

9 Her filthiness is in her skirts : she remembereth not her last 



340 



Jeremiah, 



end ; therefore she came down wonderfully : she had no comforter- 
O Lord, behold my affliction : for the enemy hath magnified him- 
self. 

10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant 
things : for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, 
whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy con- 
gregation. 

11 All her people sigh, they seek bread ; they have given their 
pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul : see, Lord, and con- 
sider ; for I am become vile. 

12 IT Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by ? behold, and see if 
there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, 
wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. 

13 From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth 
against them : he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me 
back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day. 

14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand : they are 
wreathed, and come up upon my neck : he hath made my strength 
to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I 
am not able to rise up. 

15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the 
midst of me : he hath called an assembly against me to crush my 
young men : the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, 
as in a winepress. 

16 For these things I weep ; mine eye, mine eye runneth down 
with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far 
from me : my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. 

17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort 
her: the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversa- 
ries should be round about him : Jerusalem is a menstruous woman 
among them. 

18 IT The Lord is righteous ; for I have rebelled against his com- 
mandment : hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow : my 
virgins and my young men are gone into captivity. 

19 1 called for my lovers, out they deceived me : my priests and 
mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their 
meat to relieve their souls. 

20 Behold, Lord ; for I am in distress : my bowels are troubled ; 
mine heart is turned within me ; for I have grievously rebelled : 
abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. 

21 They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me : all 
mine enemies have heard of my trouble ; they are glad that thou hast 
done it : thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall 
be like unto me. 

22 Let all their wickedness come before thee ; and do unto them 
as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions : for my sighs are 
many, and my heart is faint. 

LAMENTATIONS, II. 

Jeremiah lament eth Jerusalem's misery. He complaineth thereof to 

God. 

1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud 



Jeremiah. 



341 



in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty 
of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger ! 

2 The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and 
hath not pitied : he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of 
the daughter of Judah ; he hath brought them down to the ground : 
he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. 

3 He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel : he 
hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he 
burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round 
about. 

4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy : he stood with his right 
hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in 
the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion : he poured out his fury like 
fire. 

5 The Lord was as an enemy ; he hath swallowed up Israel, he 
hath swallowed up all her palaces ; he hath destroyed his strong 
holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and 
lamentation. 

6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of 
a garden ; he hath destroyed his places of the assembly : the Lord 
hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, 
and hath despised, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the 
priest. 

7 The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, 
he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; 
they have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a 
solemn feast. 

8 The Lord hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of 
Zion ; he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand 
from destroying : therefore he made the rampart and the wall to 
lament ; they languished together. 

9 Her gates are sunk into the ground ; he hath destroyed and 
broken her bars ; her king and her princes are among the Gentiles : 
the law is no more ; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord. 

10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and 
keep silence : they have cast up dust upon their heads ; they have 
girded themselves with sackcloth : the virgins of Jerusalem hang 
down their heads to the ground. 

11 Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver 
is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my 
people ; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets 
of the city. 

12 They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine ? when 
they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their 
soul was poured out into their mother's bosom. 

13 What thing shall I take to witness for thee ? what thing shall I 
liken to thee, daughter of Jerusalem ? what shall I equal to thee, 
that I may comfort thee, virgin daughter of Zion ? for thy breach 
is great like the sea ; who can heal thee ? 

14 Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee ; and 
they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity ; 
but have seen for thee false burdens, and causes of banishment. 

15 All that pass by clap their hands at thee ; they hiss and wag 



342 



Jeremiah. 



their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that 
men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth ? 

16 All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee : they 
hiss and gnash the teeth : they say, We have swallowed her up : 
certainly this is the day that we looked for ; we have found, we have 
seen it. 

17 The Lord hath done that which he had devised ; he hath fulfilled 
his word that he had commanded in the days of old : he hath thrown 
down, and hath not pitied : and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice 
over thee ; he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. 

IS Their heart cried unto the Lord, wall of the daughter of 
Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night ; give thyself no 
rest ; let not the apple of thine eye cease. 

19 Arise, cry out in the night ; in the beginning of the watches 
pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord : lift up 
thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for 
hunger in the top of every street. 

20 Behold, Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done this. 
Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long ? shall 
the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord ? 

21 The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets : my 
virgins and my youn^ men are fallen by the sword ; thou hast slain 
them in the day of thine anger ; thou hast killed, and not pitied. 

22 Thou hast called, as in a solemn day, my terrors round about ; 
so that in the day of the Lord's anger none escaped nor remained : 
those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy con- 
sumed. 

LAMENTATIONS, III. 

The faithful bewail their calamities, fyc. 

1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 

2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into 
light. 

3 Surely against me is he turned ; he turneth his hand against me 
all the day. 

4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old ; he hath broken my 
bones. 

5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and 
travail. 

6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. 

7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out : he hath made 
my chain heavy. 

S Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. 

9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone ; he hath made my 
paths crooked. 

10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret 
places. 

11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces : he 
hath made me desolate. 

12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 

13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my 
reins. 



Jeremiah, 343 

14 I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day. 

15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken 
with wormwood. 

16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath cov- 
ered me with ashes. 

17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace : I forgat 
prosperity. 

13 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the 
Lord : 

19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood 
and the gall. 

20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in 
me. 

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 

22 IF It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because 
his compassions fail not. 

23 They are new every morning : great is thy faithfulness. 

24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope 
in him. 

25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul thai 
seeketh him. 

26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the 
salvation of the Lord. 

27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth, 

23 He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne d 
upon him. 

29 He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. 

30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him : he is tilled full 
with reproach. 

31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever : 

32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion accord- 
ing to the multitude of his mercies. 

33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of 
men. 

34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, 

35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most 
High, 

36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. 

37 r Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord 
commandeth it not ? 

33 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and 
good ? 

39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punifh- 
ment of his sins ? 

40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord, 

41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the 
heavens. 

42 We have transgressed, and have rebelled : thou hast not par- 
doned. 

43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us : thou hast 
slain, thou hast not pitied. 

44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should 
not pass through. 



344 



Jeremiah, 



45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of 
the people. 

46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. 

47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. 

48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction 
of the daughter of my people. 

49 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not without any inter- 
mission. 

50 Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven. - 

51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of 
my city. 

52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird without cause. 

53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon 
me. 

54 Waters flowed over mine head ; then I said, I am cut off. 

55 *7 I called upon thy name, Lord, out of the low dungeon. 

56 Thou hast heard my voice : hide not thine ear at my breathing, 
at my cry. 

57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee : thou 
saidst, Fear not. 

58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul ; thou hast 
redeemed my life. 

59 Lord, thou hast seen my wrong : judge thou my cause. 

60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations 
against me. 

61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imagi- 
nations against me ; 

62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device 
against me all the day. 

63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up ; I am their 
music. 

64 Render unto them a recompense, Lord, according to the 
work of their hands. 

65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. 

66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens 
of the Lord. 

LAMENTATIONS, IV. 

Zion's pitiful estate bewailed : she confesseth her sins. Edom 
threatened. 

1 How is the gold become dim ! how is the most fine gold 
changed ! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of 
every street. 

2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they 
esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter ! 

3 Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to 
their young ones : the daughter of my people is become cruel, like 
the ostriches in the wilderness. 

4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his 
mouth for thirst ; the young children ask bread, andno man breaketh 
it unto them. 



Jeremiah. 



345 



5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets; they 
that were brought up in scarlet, embrace dung-hills. 

6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people 
is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was over- 
thrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. 

I Her Xazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than 
milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was 
of sapphire : 

8 Their visage is blacker than a coal ; they are not known in the 
streets : their skin cleaveth to their bones ; it is withered, it is become 
like a stick. 

9 They that he slain with the sword are better than they that he 
skin with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of 
the fruits of the field. 

10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children, 
they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my 
people. 

II The Lord hath accomplished his fury ; he hath poured out his 
fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the 
foundations thereof. 

12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, 
would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should 
have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. 

13 % For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, 
that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, 

14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have 
polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their 
garments. 

15 They cried unto them, Depart ye ; it is unclean ; depart, depart, 
touch not : when they fled away and wandered, they said among the 
heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. 

16 The anger of the Lord hath divided them ; he will no more 
regard them : they respected not the persons of the priests, they 
favored not the elders. 

IT As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help : in our 
watching we have watched Tor a nation that could not save us. 

13 They hunt our step-, that we cannot go in our streets : our end 
is near, our days are fulfilled, for our end is come. 

19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven : 
they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the 
wilderness. 

20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken 
in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among 
the heathen. 

21 r Rejoice and be glad. daughter of Edom, that dwell est in the 
land of L T z : the cup also shall pass through unto thee ; thou shall 
be drunken, and shait make thyself naked. 

22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter 
of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will 
visit thine iniquity, daughter of Edom \ he will discover thy 
sins. 

29 



346 



Jeremiah. EzeJciel. 



LAMENTATIONS, V. 

A pitiful complaint of Zion in prayer to God, 

1 Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us : consider, and behold 
our reproach. 

2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens, 

3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. 

4 We have drunken our water for money ; our wood is sold unto 
us. 

5 Our necks are under persecution ; we labor, and have no rest, 

6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians,, 
to be satisfied with bread. 

7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not ; and we have borne their 
iniquities. 

8 Servants have ruled over us : there is none that doth deliver us 
out of their hand. 

9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives, because of the 
sword of the wilderness. 

10 Our skin was black like an oven, because of the terrible 
famine. 

11 They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities 
of Judah. 

12 Princes are hanged up by their hand : the faces of elders were 
not honored. 

13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under 
the wood. 

14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from 
their music. 

15 The joy of our heart is ceased ; our dance is turned into 
mourning. 

16 The crown is fallen from our head : woe unto us that we have 
sinned ! 

17 For this our heart is faint ; for these things our eyes are dim, 

18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes 
walk upon it. 

19 Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever ; thy throne from generation 
to generation. 

20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long 
time ? 

21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned: 
renew our days as of old. 

22 But thou hast utterly rejected us ; thou art very wroth against 
us. 

EZEEIEL, XXX. 

20 IT And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in 
the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto 
me, saying, 

21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt ; 
and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, 
to make it strong to hold the sword. 

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against Pha- 



Ezekiel. 



347 



raoh king of Egypt } and will break his arms, the strong, and that 
which was broken ; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his 
hand. 

23 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will 
disperse them through the countries. 

24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put 
my sword in his hand : but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he 
shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 

25 But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the 
arms of Pharaoh shall fall down ; and they shall know that I am the 
Lord, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of 
Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. 

26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and dis- 
perse them among the countries ; and they shall know that I am the 
Lord. 

EZEKIEL, XXXI. 

A relation unto Pharaoh of the glory of Assyria, and the fall thereof 
for pride : the like destruction of Egypt. 

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in 
the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, 
saying, 

2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multi- 
tude ; Whom art thou like in thy greatness ? 

3 IT Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, 
and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature ; and his top was 
among the thick boughs. 

4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with 
her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little 
rivers unto all the trees of the field. 

5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, 
and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long, 
because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. 

6 Ail the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under 
his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, 
and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 

7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches : 
for his root was by great waters. 

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him : the fir- 
trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut-trees, were not like 
his branches ; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in 
his beauty. 

9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches : so that 
all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 

10 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because thou hast lifted 
up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick 
boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height ; 

11 I have, therefore, delivered him into the hand of the mighty one 
of the heathen ; he shall surely deal with him : I have driven him 
out for his wickedness. 

12 And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and 
have left him : upon the mountains and in all the vallies his branches 



348 



Ezehiel. 



are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land ; 
and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and 
have left him. 

13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all 
the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches : 

14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt them- 
selves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick 
boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink 
water : for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the 
earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to 
the pit. 

10 Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when he went down to 
the grave I caused a mourning : I covered the deep for him, and I 
restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed ; and 
I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field 
fainted for him. 

16 1 made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast 
him down to hell with them that descend into the pit : and all the 
trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, 
shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 

17 The}' also went down into hell with him unto thern that be 
slain with the sword ; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under 
his shadow in the midst of the heathen. 

18 IT To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among 
the trees of Eden ? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of 
Eden unto the nether parts of the earth : thou shalt lie in the midst 
of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is 
Pharaoh and all his multitude a saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL, XXVI. 

Tyms, for insulting against Jerusalem, is threatened : JVebuchad-< 
rezzar's power against her : the mourning for her. 

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the 
month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem. 
Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people ; she is turned 
unto me ; I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste : 

3 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, 
O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as 
the sea causeth his waves to come up. 

4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her 
towers : I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the 
top of a rock. 

5 It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the 
sea : for I have spoken it } saith the Lord God ; and it shall become a 
spoil to the nations. 

6 And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the 
sword ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

7 11 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus 
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north 4 
with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies* 
and much people, 



Ezehiel. 



349 



8 He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field ; and he 
shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift 
up the buckler against thee. 

9 And he shah set engines of war against thy walls, and with his 
axes he shall break down thy towers. 

10 By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover 
thee : thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the 
wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as 
men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 

11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: 
he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shali 
go down to the ground. 

12 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of 
thy merchandise : and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy 
thy pleasant houses ; and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and 
thy dust in the midst of the water. 

13 And 1 will cause the noise of thy songs to cease : and the sound 
of thy harps shall be no more heard. 

14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock : thou shalt be a 
place to spread nets upon ; thou shalt be built no more : for I the 
Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 

15 IF Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus ; Shall not the isles shake 
at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter 
is made in the midst of thee ? 

16 Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their 
thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered gar- 
ments : they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit 
upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be aston- 
ished at thee. 

17 And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and shall say to 
thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, 
the renowned city which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabi- 
tants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! 

18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall ; yea, the isles 
that are in the sea shall be troubled at th}' departure. 

19 For thus saith the Lord God ; when I shall make thee a deso- 
late city, like the cities that are not inhabited ; when I shall bring up 
the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee ; 

20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the 
pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of 
the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the 
pit, that thou be not inhabited ; and I shall set glory in the land of the 
living; 

21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shall be no more ; though 
thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the 
Lord God. 

EZFKIEL, XXVII. 

The rich supply of Tyrus : the great and irrecoverable fall thereof 

1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 

2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 

3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the 

29 * 



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EzekieL 



sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus salth 
the Lord God ; Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. 

4 Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have per- 
fected thy beauty. 

5 They have made all thy ship boards of fir-trees of Senir ; they 
have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 

6 Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars ; the company 
of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory brought out of the 
isles of Chittim. 

7 Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt, was that which 
thou spreadest forth to be thy sail ; blue and purple from the isles of 
Elishah was that which covered thee. 

8 The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners : thy 
wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. 

9 The ancients of Gebal, and the wise men thereof were in thee* 
thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee 
to occupy thy merchandise. 

10 They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army 
thy men of w T ar: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee ; they 
set forth thy comeliness. 

11 The men of Arvad, with thine army, were upon thy walls round 
about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers : they hanged their 
shields upon thy walls round about ; they have made thy beauty 
perfect. 

12 Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all 
kind of riches ; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy 
fairs. 

13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants : they 
traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. 

14 They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses, 
and horsemen, and mules. 

15 The men of Dedan were thy merchants ; many isles were the 
merchandise of thine hand : they brought thee for a present horns of 
ivory and ebony. 

16 Syria teas thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the 
wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, 
purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. 

17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants : they 
traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and 
oil, and balm. 

18 Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of 
thy making, for the multitude of all riches ; in the wine of Helbon, 
and white wool. 

19 Dan also and Javan, going to and fro, occupied in thy fairs; 
bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 

20 Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 

21 Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in 
lambs, and rams, and goats ; in these were they thy merchants. 

22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah,they were thy merchants : 
they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all pre- 
cious stones, and gold. 

23 Haran. and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, 
and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 



EzeJciel. 



351 



24 These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue 
clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound 
with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. 

25 The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market ; and thou 
wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 

26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters ; the east 
wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. 

27 Thy riches and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and 
thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all 
thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company, which is 
in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of 
thy ruin. 

28 The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. 

29 And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of 
the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the 
land ; 

30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall 
cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads ; they shall 
wallow themselves in the ashes ; 

31 And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird 
them with sackcloth ; and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of 
heart and bitter wailing. 

32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, 
and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the de- 
stroyed in the midst of the sea ? 

33 When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many 
people ; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with. the multitude 
of thy riches, and of thy merchandise. 

34 In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths 
of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of 
thee shall fall. 

35 All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, 
and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their 
countenance. 

36 The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee ; thou shalt 
be a terror, and never shalt be any more. 

EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 

God's judgment upon the prince of Tyrus. The judgment of 
Zidon. 

1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord 
God ; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a 
god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas : yet thou art 
a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of 
God: 

3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel ; there is no secret that they 
can hide, from thee : 

4 W T ith thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten 
thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures : 

5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy 
riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches : 



352 



Ezekiel. 



6 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because thou hast set thine 
heart as the heart of God ; 

7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible 
of the nations : and they shall draw their swords against the beauty 
of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 

8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the 
deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 

9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God ? but 
thou shalt be a man, and no god, in the hand of him that slayeth 
thee. 

10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uneircumcised by the hand of 
strangers : for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 

11 1T Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and 
say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God ; Thou sealest up the sum, 
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God ; every precious 
stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the 
beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the 
carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets, and of thy 
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 

14 Thcu art the anointed cherub that covereth ; and I have set 
thee so : thou wast upon the holy mountain of God ; thou hast 
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 

15 Thou icast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast 
created, till iniquity was found in thee. 

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst 
of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned : therefore I will cast 
thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, 
O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast 
corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee 
to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold 
thee. 

18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine 
iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic ; therefore will I bring forth 
a fire from ihe midst of thee, it shall devour thee ; and I will bring 
thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold 
thee. 

19 Ail they that know thee among the people shall be astonished 
at thee : thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. 

20 IT Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against 

it, 

22 And say, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, 
O Zidon • and I will be glorified in the midst of thee : and they shall 
know that I am the Lord, when 1 shall have executed judgments in 
her, and shall be sanctified in her. 

23 For I mill send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets ; 
and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword 
upon her on every side ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

24 IT And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of 



Jeremiah. 



353 



Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them that 
despised them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord God. 

25 Thus saith the Lord God ; When I shall have gathered the 
house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and 
shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they 
dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. 

26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and 
plant vineyards ; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have 
executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about 
them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. 

JEREMIAH, XLIV. B. C. 587. 

The desolation of Judah for idolatry. The Jeivs 9 obstinacy is 
threatened. The destruction of Egypt foreshewn. 

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which 
dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, 
and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Ye have seen 
all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the 
cities of Judah ; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no 
man dwelleth therein ; 

3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed, to pro- 
voke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve 
other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. 

4 Howbeit, I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising 
early, and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing^ 
that I hate. 

5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their 
wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. 

6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was 
kindled in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem ; and 
they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. 

7 Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God 
of Israel, Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to 
cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah s 
to leave you none to remain ; 

8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, 
burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be 
gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be 
a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth ? 

9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the 
wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, 
and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which 
they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of 
Jerusalem ? 

10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they 
feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before 
you, and before your fathers. 

11 IT Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, tbe God of Israel, 
Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and so cut off all 
Judah. 

1% Apd I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces 



354 



Jeremiah. 



to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be 
consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be con- 
sumed by the sword and by the famine : they shall die. from the 
least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine ; and 
they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a 
reproach. 

13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I 
have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the 
pestilence : 

14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the 
land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they 
should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a de- 
sire to return to dwell there : for none shall return but such as shall 
escape. 

15 *~ Then all the men which knew that their wives had burnt 
incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great 
multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in 
Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saving, 

16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of 
the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. 

17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of 
our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to 
pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our 
fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the 
streets of Jerusalem : for then had we plenty of victuals, and were 
well, and saw no evil. 

18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, 
and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, 
and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 

19 And when we burnt incense to the queen of heaven, and 
poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to wor- 
ship her, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our men ? 

20 r Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men. and to 
the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, 
saying, 

21 The incense that ye burnt in the cities of Judah, and in the 
streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings and your 
princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember 
them, and came it not into his mind ? 

22 So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of 
3-our doings, and because of the abominations which ye have com- 
mitted : therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and 
a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. 

23 Because ye have burnt incense, and because ye have sinned 
against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor 
walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies ; there- 
fore this evil is happened unto you,, as at this day. 

24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the 
women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land 
of Egypt : 

25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: Ye 
and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled 
with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we- 



Jeremiah. 



355 



have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out 
drink-offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and 
surely perform your vows. 

26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord all Judah that dwell 
in the land of Egypt ; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, 
saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the rnouttt 
of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord 
God liveth. 

27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil and not for good ; and 
all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be'consumed 
by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. 

23 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of 
the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of 
Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall 
know whose word shall stand, mine or their's. 

29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will 
punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall 
surely stand against you for evil : 

30 Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra 
king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of 
them that seek his life ; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the 
hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought 
his life. 

JEREMIAH, XLVI. 

13 The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how 
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of 

Egypt. 

14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in 
Noph, and in Tahpanhes : say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee, for 
the sword shall devour round about thee. 

15 Why are thy valiant men swept away ? they stood not, because 
the Lord did drive them. 

16 He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another ; and they 
said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of 
our nativity, from the oppressing sword. 

17 They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise ; he 
hath passed the time appointed. 

18 As I live, saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 
Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, 
so shall he come. 

19 thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into 
captivity : for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabi- 
tant. 

20 Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction corneth ; it 
cometh out of the north. 

21 Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; 
for they also are turned back, and are fled away together : they did 
not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, 
and the time of their visitation. 

22 The voice thereof shall go like a serpent ; for they shall march 
with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood. 



356 



Ezekiel. 



23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord, though it 
cannot be searched ; because they are more than the grasshoppers, 
and are innumerable. 

24 The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded ; she shall be de- 
livered into the hand of the people of the north. 

25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will 
punish the multitudes of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their 
gods, and their kings ; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in 
him. 

26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their 
lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and 
into the hand of his servants : and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as 
in the days of old, saith the Lord. 

27 IT But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, 
O Israel ; for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed 
from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in 
rest, and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. 

28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord, for I am 
with thee, for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have 
driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee ; but correct thee 
in measure, yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished, 

B. C. 586. EZEKIEL, XXXII. 

A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt. 

1 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, 
in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto 
me, saying, 

2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou 
art as a whale in the sea : and thou earnest forth with thy rivers, and 
troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. 

3 Thus saith the Lord God ; I will therefore spread out my net 
over thee with a company of many people ; and they shall bring 
thee up in my net. 

4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon 
the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain 
upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee. 

5 And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys 
with thy height. 

6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, 
even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. 

7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and 
make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and 
the moon shall not give her light. 

8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and 
set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God. 

9 I will also vex the hearts of man)' people, when I shall bring 
thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast 
not known. 

10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings 
shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword 



Ezekiel. 



357 



before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man 
for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 

11 IF For thus saith the Lord God; The sword of the king of 
Babylon shall come upon thee. 

12 By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, 
the terrible of the nations, all of them : and they shall spoil the 
pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. 

13 I will destroy also ail the beasts thereof from beside the great 
waters : neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the 
hoofs of beasts trouble them. 

14 Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to 
run like oil, saith the Lord God. 

15 "When 1 shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country 
shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all 
them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the Lord. 

16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her : the 
daughters of the nations shall lament her ; they shall lament for her, 
even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord God. 

17 IT It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day 
of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

IS Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them 
down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the 
nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. 

19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty ? go down, and be thou laid 
with the uncircumcised. 

20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword; 
she is delivered to the sword : draw her and all her multitudes. 

21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the 
midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie 
uncircumcised, slain by the sword. 

22 Ashur is there, and all her company ; his graves are about 
him ; all of them slain, fallen by the sword : 

23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company 
is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 
which caused terror in the land of the living. 

24 There is Elam and all her multitude, round about her grave, 
all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncir- 
cumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their 
terror in the land of the living ; yet have they borne their shame 
with them that go down to the pit. 

25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain, with all her 
multitude ; her graves are round about him : all of them uncircum- 
cised, slain by the sword, though their terror was caused in the land 
of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go 
down to the pit : he is put in the midst of them that be slain. 

26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude : her graves 
are round about him : all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, 
though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 

27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the 
uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of 
war : and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their 
iniquities shali be upon their bones, though they ivere the terror of 
the mighty in the land of the living. 

30 



358 



EzeMeh 



28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised 3 
and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword. 

29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with 
their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall 
lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. 

30 There he the princes of the north, all of them, and all the 
Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain ; with their terror 
they are ashamed of their might ; and they lie uncircumcised with 
them that he slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that 
£0 down to the pit. 

31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his 
multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith 
the Lord God. 

32 For I have caused my terror in the land of the living : and he 
shall be laid in the midst with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his 
multitude, saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL. XXXIII. 

By the duty of a watchman, Ezekiel is admonished of his duty, 
God sheweth the justice of his ways. 

1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto 
them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the 
land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman : 

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the 
trumpet, and warn the people ; 

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh 
not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall 
be upon his own head. 

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning : his 
blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver 
his soul. 

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the 
trumpet, and the people be not warned ; if the sword come, and take 
any person from among them, be is taken away in his iniquity ; but 
his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 

7 IT So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the 
house of Israel ; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, 
and warn them from me. 

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely 
die ; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that 
wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at 
thine hand. 

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from 
it ; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but 
thou hast delivered thy soul. 

10 H Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, 
Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins he upon us, 
and we pine away in them, how should we then live ? 

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from 



Ezekiel. 



359 



his way and live : turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways ; for why 
will ye die, house of Israel? 

12 Therefore, thou sou of man, say unto the children of thy 
people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in 
the day of his transgression : as for the wickedness of the wicked, he 
shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; 
neither shall the righteous be able to live for his right eousp.ess in the 
day that he sinneth. 

13 When 1 shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely lire ; if 
he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his right- 
eousnesses shall not be remembered ; but for his iniquity that he 
hath committed, he shall die fGr it. 

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; if 
he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right ; 

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, 
walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity ; he shall 
surely live, he shall not die. 

16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned 
unto him : he hath done that which is lawful and right ; he shall 
surely live. 

17 IT Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is 
not equal : but, as for them, their way is not equal. 

18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and com- 
mitteth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. 

19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which 
is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 

20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house 
of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. 

21 f And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in 
the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had 
escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 

22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore 
he that was escaped came, and had opened my mouth, until he came 
to me in the morning ; and my mouth was opened, and I was no 
more dumb. 

23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel 
speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land : but we 
are many; the land is given us for inheritance. 

25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Ye eat 
with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed 
blood : And shall ye possess the land ? 

26 Ye stand upon your swGrd, ye work abomination, and ye defile 
every one his neighbor's w r ife : and shall ye possess the land ? 

27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, As I live, 
surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword; and him 
that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured ; and 
they that be in the forts, and in the caves, shall die of the pesti- 
lence. 

28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her 
strength shall cease ; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, 
that none shall pass through. 

29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid 



360 



Ezekiel 



the land most desolate, because of all their abominations which they 
have committed. 

30 IF Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are 
talking against thee by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, and 
speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray 
you. and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. 

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit 
before thee as my people, and the}- hear thy words, but they will 
not do them : for with their mouth they shew much love, bat their 
heart goeth after their covetousness. 

32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that 
hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument : for they 
hear thy words, but they do them not. 

33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,} then shall 
they know that a prophet hath been among them. 

EZEKIEL, XXXIV, 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, savins:, 

2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, 
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, 
Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should 
not the shepherds feed the flocks ? 

3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them 
that are fed : but ye feed not the flock. 

4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed 
that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which teas 
broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, 
neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with 
cruelty have ye ruled them. 

5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd : and 
they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were 
scattered. 

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every 
high hill : yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the 
earth, and none did search or seek after them. 

7 TF Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ; 

8 As I live saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became 
a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, be- 
cause there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for 
my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock. 

9 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ; 

10 Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against the shepherds; 
and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease 
from feeding the flock ; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves 
anymore; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they 
may not be meat for them. 

11 IT For thus saith the Lord God ; Eehold I, even I, will both 
search my sheep, and seek them out. 

12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among 
his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and wiii 
deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the 
cloudy and dark day 



Ezekiel. 



361 



13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them 
from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed 
them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the in- 
habited places of the country. 

14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains 
of Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a good fold, and 
in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 

15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith 
the Lord God. 

16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which 
was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will 
strengthen that which was sick : but I will destroy the fat and the 
strong ; I will feed them with judgment. 

17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, 
I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he-goats. 

18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good 
pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your 
pastures ? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul 
the residue with your feet ? 

19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with 
your feet : and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. 

20 IF Therefore, thus saith the Lord God unto them, Behold I, even 
I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 

21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and 
pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them 
abroad ; 

22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a 
prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 

23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed 
them, even my servant David; he shall feed t>.em, and he shall be 
their shepherd. 

24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a 
prince among them ; I the Lord have spoken it. 

25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause 
the evil beasts to cease out of the land : and they shall dwell safely 
in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 

26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a 
blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season ; 
there shall be showers of blessing. 

27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth 
shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall 
know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their 
2/oke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served them- 
selves of them. s 

28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall 
the beasts of the land devour them : but they shall dwell safely, and 
none shall make them afraid. 

29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall 
be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the 
shame of the heathen any more. 

30 Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with 
them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith 
the Lord God. 

30 * 



302 



EzekieL 



31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am 
your God, saith the Lord God, 

EZEKIEL, XXXV. 

The judgment of mount Seir for their hatred of Israel. 

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy 
against it, 

3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, mount 
Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against 
thee, and I will make thee most desolate. 

4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou 
shalt know that I am the Lord. 

5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the 
blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time 
of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end : 

6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee 
unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee : since thou hast not hated 
blood, even blood shall pursue thee. 

7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from 
it him that passeth out and him that returneth. 

8 And I will fill his mountains w ? ith his slain men : in thy hills ? 
and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain 
with the sword. 

9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not 
return : and ye shall know that i am the Lord. 

10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two 
countries shall be mine, and we will possess it ; whereas the Lord 
was there : 

11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do accord- 
ing to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used 
out of thy hatred against them ; and 1 will make myself known 
among them, when I have judged thee. 

12 And thou shalt know that 1 am the Lord, and that I have 
heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the moun- 
tains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to 
consume. 

13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have 
multiplied your words against me : 1 have heard them. 

14 Thus saith the Lord God, When the whole earth rejoiceth, I 
will make thee desolate. 

15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel y 
because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee : thou shalt be deso- 
late, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it ; and they shall 
know that 1 am the Lord. 

EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 

The land of Israel is comforted by the heathen's destruction, and 
God's blessing. 

1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, 
and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord : 



Ezehiel, 



363 



2 Thus saith the Lord God, Because the enemy hath said against 
you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession ; 

3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Because 
they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side., 
that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye 
are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people : 

4 Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord 
God ; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to 
the rivers and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities 
that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of 
the heathen that are round about; 

5 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Surely in the fire of my 
jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against 
all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with 
the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a 
prey. 

6 Prophesy, therefore, concerning the land of Israel, and say unto 
the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, Thus 
saith the Lord God, Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my 
fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen, 

7 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, I have lifted up mine hand. 
Surely the heathen that are about you they shall bear their shame. 

8 IT But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your 
branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel ; for they are at 
hand to come. 

9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall 
be tilled and sown. 

10 And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even 
all of it : and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be 
builded : 

11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall 
increase and bring fruit : and I will settle you after your old estates^ 
and will do better unto you than at your beginnings ; and ye shall 
know that I am the Lord. 

12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people 
Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inher- 
itance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. 

13 Thus saith the Lord God, Because they say unto you, Thou 
land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; 

14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy 
nations any more, saith the Lord God. 

15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the 
heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people 
any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, 
saith the Lord God. 

16 % Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, 
they defiled it by their own way, and by their doings : their way was 
before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 

18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they 
had shed upon the land ; and for their idols wherewith they had pol- 
luted it : 

19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dis- 



384 



Ezekieh 



persed through the countries : according to their way, and according 
to their doings, 1 judged them. 

20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, 
they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the 
people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land. 

21 IT But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel 
had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord 
God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy 
name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen whither ye 
went. 

23 And I will sanctify my great name which was profaned among 
the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them ; and the 
heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I 
shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you 
out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 

25 IT Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be 
clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse 
you. 

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spu-it will I put 
within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, 
and I will give you an heart of flesh. 

27 And 1 will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in 
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and 
ye shall he my people, and I will be your God. 

29 I will also save you from all your un cleannesses : and I will 
call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 

SO And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the 
field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the 
heathen. 

31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings 
that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for 
your iniquities and for your abominations. 

32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known 
unto you : be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house 
of Israel. 

33 Thus saith the Lord God ; In the day that I shall have cleansed 
you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the 
cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 

34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in 
the sight of all that passed by. 

35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate, is become like 
the garden of Eden ; and the waste, and desolate, and ruined cities 
are become fenced, and are inhabited. 

36 Then the heathen that are left round about you, shall know 
that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was des- 
olate : I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. 

37 Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by 
the house of Israel to do it for them ; 1 will increase them with men 
like a flock. 

38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, 



Ezehiel. Obadiah. 



365 



so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men ; and they shall 
know that I am the Lord. 

obadiaii, i. B. C. 586.* 

The destruction of E do m for their pride, and for their unnatural 
behavior in Jacob's distress. The salvation and victories of 
Jacob. 

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning 
Edom ; We have heard a rumor from the Lord, and an ambassador 
is sent among the heathen. Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in 
battle. 

2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art 
greatly despised. 

3 r The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou thatdwellest 
in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high ; that saith in his 
heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground ? 

4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy 
nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord. 

5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut 
off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough ? if the grape- 
gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? 

6 How are the things of Esau searched out ! how are his hidden 
things sought up ! 

7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the 
border ; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee ? 
and prevailed against thee ; they that eat thy bread have laid a 
wound under thee : there is none understanding in him. 

8 Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise 
men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau ? 

9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end 
that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. 

10 IT For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover 
thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. 

11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that 
the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered 
into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one 
of them. 

12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in 
the day that he became a stranger : neither shouldest thou have 
rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction : 
neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 

13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in 
the day of their calamity ; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on 
their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on 
their substance in the day of their calamity ; 

14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the cross-way, to cut of! 



* There is no date given in this prophecy : I have therefore followed Mr. Scott 
in the ahove date. Mr. Townsend dates this prophecy 154 years earlier, i. e. B. C, 
740. He says in a note: I have ventured to place the book of Obadiah in this 
place, from comparing t he tenor of the prophecy contained in it with 2 Chronicles, 
jtxviii. 17, where it is expressly said, For againthe Edomites had come and smitten 
Judah and carried away captives," 



366 



Obadiah. Ezekiel. 



those of his that did escape ; neither shouldest thou have delivered up 
those of his that did remain in the day of distress. 

15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen : as thou 
hast done, it shall be done unto thee : thy reward shall return upon 
thine own head. 

18 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the 
heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall 
swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. 

17 IT But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be 
holiness ; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 

18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house nf Joseph 
a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in 
them, and devour them ; and there shall not be any remaining of 
the house of Esau ; for the Lord hath spoken it. 

19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau ; and 
they of the plain the Philistines : and they shall possess the fields of 
Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria : and Benjamin shall possess 
Gilead. 

20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall 
possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath ; and the cap- 
tivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of 
the south. 

21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount 
of Esau ; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. 

EZEKIEL, XXXVII. 

By the resurrection of dry hones, the dead hope of Israel is revived. 

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the 
Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which 
teas full of bones, 

2 And caused me to pass by them round about : and, behold, there 
were very many in the open valley ; and, lo, they were very dry. 

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live ? And I 
answered, O Lord God, thcu knowest. 

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto 
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 

5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, Behold, I will cause 
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live : 

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon 
you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall 
live ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded : and as I prophesied there 
was a noise, and, behold, a shaking, and the bones came together 5 
bone to his bone. 

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon 
them, and the skin covered them above : but there was no breath in 
them. 

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son 
of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, Come from 
the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may 
live. 

10 So I prophesied, as he commanded me, and the breath came 



Ezekiel. 



367 



into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding 
great army. 

11 TF Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole 
house of Israel : behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope 
is lost : we are cut off for our parts. 

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord 
God, Behold, my people, I will open your graves, and cause you 
to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 

13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened 
your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall 
place you in your own land : then shall ye know that I the Lord 
have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. 

15 IT The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon 
it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions : then 
take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the slick of Ephraim, 
and for all the house of Israel his companions : 

17 And join them one to another into one stick ; and they shall 
become one in thine hand. 

18 IT And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, 
saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these ? 

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, i will take 
the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim. and the tribes 
of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick 
of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine 
hand. 

20 f And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand 
before their eyes. 

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will 
take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their 
own land : 

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains 
of Israel : and one king shall be king to them all ; and they shall be 
no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms 
any more at all : 

23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, 
nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions : 
but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they 
have sinned, and will cleanse them : so shall they be my people, and 
I will be their God. 

24 And David my servant shall be king over them ; and they all 
shall have one shepherd : they shall also walk in my judgments, and 
observe my statutes, and do them. 

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob 
my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they snail dwell 
therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children 
for ever : and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 

26 Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them ; it shall 
be an everlasting covenant with them : and 1 will place them, and 
multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for 
evermore. 



363 



Ezekiel 



27 My tabernacle also shall be with thern, yea, I will be their God. 
and the}" shall be my people. 

28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, 
when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. 

B. C. 585. EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. 

The army and malice of Gog. God's judgment against him. 

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the 
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 

3 And sa}*, Thus saiih the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, 
O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal : 

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I 
will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen all of 
them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with 
bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords : 

5 Persia. Ethiopia, and Lybia with them : all of them with shield 
and helmet : 

6 Gomer 9 and all his bands ; the house of Togarmah of the north 
quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 

7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy 
company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto 
them. 

8 IT After many days thou shalt be visited : in the latter years thou 
shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is 
gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which 
have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, 
and they shall dwell safely all of them. 

9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a 
cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people 
with thee. 

10 Thus saith the Lord God ; it shall also come to pass, that at the 
same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an 
evil thought : 

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled 
villages : I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of 
them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gate 5 ?, 

12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey : to turn thine hand upon 
the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that 
are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, 
that dwell in the midst of the land. 

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the 
young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take 
a spoil ? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey ? to carry 
away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great 
spoil r 

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog. Thus 
saith the Lord God ; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth 
safely, shalt thou not know it ? 

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, 
and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great 
company, and a mighty army : • 



EzekieL 



369 



16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud 
to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee 
against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be 
sanctified in thee, Gog, before their eyes. 

17 Thus saith the Lord God ; Art thou he of whom I have spoken 
in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied 
in those days many years, that I would bring thee against them ? 

18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall 
come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury 
shall come up in my face. 

19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, 
Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of 
Israel ; 

20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the 
beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, 
and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at 
my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the 
steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 

21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my 
mountains, saith the Lord God : every man's sword shall be against 
his brother. 

22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood ; 
and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many 
people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, 
fire and brimstone. 

23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself ; and I will be 
known in the eyes of many nations ; and the}' shall know that I am 
the Lord. 

ZZEKIEL, XXXTX. 

God's judgments upon Gog. Israel's victory. The feast of the 
foiuls. 

1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, Gog, the 
chief prince of Meshech and Tabal : 

2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, 
and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring 
thee upon the mountains of Israel : 

3 And 1 will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause 
thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 

4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy 
bands, and the people that is with thee : 1 will give thee unto the 
ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field, to be 
devoured. 

5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field : for I have spoken it, saith 
the Lord God. 

6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell 
carelessly in the isles ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people 
Israel ; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more ; 
and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the holy One in 
Israel. 

31 



370 



Ezekiel. 



8 IT Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God • this -is 
the day whereof I have spoken. 

9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth^ and 
shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the 
bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand-staves and the 
spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years ; 

10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut 
down any out of the forests ; for they shall burn the weapons with 
fire : and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that 
robbed them, saith the Lord God. 

11 IT And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto 
Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on 
the east of the sea ; and it shall stop the noses of the passengers : and 
there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude ; and they shall call 
it, The valley of Hamon-gog. 

12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, 
that they may cleanse the land. 

13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall be 
to them a renown, the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord 
God. 

14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing 
through the land, to bury with the passengers those that remain upon 
the face of the earth, to cleanse it : after the end of seven months 
shall they search. 

15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth 
a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have 
buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. 

16 And also the name of the city shall be Kamonah. Thus shall 
they cleanse the land. 

17 IT And thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God, Speak unto 
every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field. Assemble 
yourselves, and come : gather yourselves on every side to my sacri- 
fice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the 
mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 

18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the 
princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all 
of them fatlings of Bashan. 

19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be 
drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 

20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, 
with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God. 

21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen 
shall see my judgment that 1 have executed, and my hand that I have 
laid upon them. 

22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their 
God from that day and forward. 

23 And the lieathen shall know that the house of Israel went 
into captivity for their iniquity : because they trespassed against me, 
therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of 
their enemies ; so fell they all by the sword. 

24 According to their uncleanness, and according to their trans- 
gressions, have I done unto theim and hid my face from them. 

25 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Now will 1 bring again the 



EzehieJ. Jeremiah. Daniel. 



371 



captivity of Jacob, and have roercy upon the whole house of Israel* 
and will be jealous for my holy name ; 

26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses 
whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely 
in their land, and none made them afraid. 

27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered 
them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight 
of many nations ; 

28 Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which 
caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen : but I have 
gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any 
more there. 

29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them : for I have 
poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. 

JEREMIAH, XLIII. B. C. 584 

8 IT Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in TahpanheSj 
saying, 

9 Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in 
the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, 
in the sight of the men of Judah ; 

10 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of 
Israel ; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of 
Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I 
have hid ; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. 

11 And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and 
deliver such as are for death to death ; and such as are for captivity 
to captivity ; and such as are for the sword to the sword. 

12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt ; and 
he shall burn them and carry them away captives, and he shall array 
himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment 5 
and he shall go forth from thence in peace. 

13 He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the 
land of Egypt, and the house of the gods of the Egyptians shall he 
burn with fire. 

DANIEL, in. B. C. 580c 

jYebuchadnezzar dedicateth a golden image in Dura. Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Ahed-nego are accused. 

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height 
was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof sis cubits : he set it 
up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the 
princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, 
the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to 
come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king 
had set up. 

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the 
treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the 
provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image 



372 



Daniel. 



that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up ; and they stood before the 
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 

4 Then an herald cried aloud. To you it is commanded, people, 
nations and languages, 

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, 
sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and 
worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set 
up. 

6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour 
be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of 
the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all 
the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worship- 
ped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 

8 II Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and 
accused the Jews. 

9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for 
ever. 

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall 
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulci- 
mer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden 
image : 

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be 
cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of 
the province of Babylon, Shadracb, Meshach, and Abed-nego ; these 
men, O king, have not regarded thee ; they serve not thy gods, nor 
worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 

13 IT Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, commanded to 
bring Shadracb, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these 
men before the king. 

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O 
Shadracb, Meshach, and Abed-nego ? do not ye serve my gods, nor 
worship the golden image which I have set up ? 

15 Now if ye be ready, that at what time ye hear the sound of the 
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of 
music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well; 
but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst 
of a burning fiery furnace : and who is that god that shall deliver you 
out of my hands ? 

16 Shadracb, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the 
king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this 
matter. 

17 If it be so, our God, whom w T e serve, is able to deliver us from 
the burning fiery furnace ; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O 
king. 

18 But if net, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not 
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set 
up. 

19 IT Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his 
visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego a 
therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace^ 
one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 



Daniel. Ezehiel. 



373 



20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his 
army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them 
into the burning fiery furnace. 

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and 
their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of 
the burning fiery furnace. 

22 Therefore, because the king's commandment was urgent, and 
the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that 
took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 

23 And these three men, Shadrach. Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell 
down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in 
haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three 
men bound into the midst of the fire ? They answered and said unto 
the king, True, king. 

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the 
midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth 
is like the son of God. 

26 IT Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning 
fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. 
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of 
the fire. 

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's coun- 
sellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies 
the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither 
were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 

28 Then Neduehadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and 
delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the 
king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor 
worship any god, except their own God. 

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and lan- 
guage, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses 
shall be made a dunghill : because there is no other God that can 
deliver after this sort. 

30 H Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
in the province of Babylon. 

EZEKIEL, XL. B. C. 574 

The time, manner, and end, of EzekieVs vision. Eight tables, the 
chambers, the porch of the house. 

1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning 
of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after 
that the city was smitten, in the self-same day the hand of the Lore 
was upon me, and brought me thither. 

2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and 
set me upon a very high mountain, by which vjas as the frame of a 
city on the south. 

3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man* 

31 * 



374 



Ezelciel. 



whose appearance teas like the appearance of brass, with a line of 
flax in his hand, and a measuring-reed ; and he stood in the gate. 

4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, 
and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall 
shew thee ; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art 
thou brought hither : declare all that thou seest to the house of 
Israel. 

5 And, behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and 
in the man's hand a measuring-reed of six cubits long, by the cubit; 
and an hand-breadth : so he measured the breadth of the building, 
one reed, and the height one reed. 

6 U Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, 
and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the 
gate, which was one reed broad, and the other threshold of the gate, 
which was one reed broad. 

7 And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad ; 
and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold 
of the gate, by the porch of the gate within, was one reed. 

8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed. 

9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits ; and the 
posts thereof, two cubits ; and the porch of the gate teas inward. 

10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this 
side, and three on that side ; they three were of one measure : and 
the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 

11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten 
cubits ; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 

12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this 
side, and the space was one cubit on that side ; and the little 
chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 

13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber 
to the roof of another : the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door 
against door. 

14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of 
the court round about the gate. 

15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance, unto the face of 
the porch of the inner gate, were fifty cubits. 

16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to 
their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches ; 
and windows were round about inward : and upon each post were 
palm-trees. 

17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were 
chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about : thirty 
chambers were upon the pavement. 

18 And the pavement by the side of the gates, over against the 
length of the gates, was the lower pavement. 

19 Then he measured the breadth, from the fore-front of the lower 
gate unto the fore -front of the inner court without, an hundred cubits 
eastward and northward. 

20 1T And the gate of the outward court, that looked toward the 
north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. 

21 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side, and 
three on that side ; and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, 



Ezekiel. 



375 



were after the measure of the first gate : the length thereof was 
fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits, 

22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm-trees, 
were after the measure of the gate thatlooketh toward the east; and 
they went up unto it by seven steps ; and the arches thereof were 
before them, 

23 And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward 
the north, and toward the east ; and he measured from gate to gate 
an hundred cubits. 

24 IT After that he brought me toward the south, and, behold, a 
gate toward the south : and he measured the posts thereof, and the 
arches thereof, according to these measures. 

25 And there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round 
about, like those windows : the length was fifty cubits, and the 
breadth five and twenty cubits. 

26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches 
thereof were before them : and it had palm-trees, one on this side, 
and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. 

27 And there was a a'ate in the inner court toward the south : and 
he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. 

23 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate : and 
he measured the south gate according to these measures ; 

29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the 
arches thereof, according to these measures: and tliere were windows 
in it and in the arches thereof round about : it was fifty cubits long, 
and five and twenty cubits broad. 

30 And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, 
and five cubits broad. 

31 And the arches thereof were toward the outer court ; and 
palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had 
eight steps. 

32 % And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and 
he measured the gate according to these measures. 

33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and 
the arches thereof, icere according to these measures: and there ivere 
windows therein and in the arches thereof round about : it was fifty 
cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 

34 And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and 
palm-trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side and on that side i 
and the going up to it had eight steps. 

35 *~ And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it accord- 
ing to these measures ; 

36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches 
thereof, and the windows to it round about : the length was fifty 
cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 

37 And the posts thereof w-ere toward the outer court ; and palm- 
trees icere upon the posts thereof on this side, and on that side : and 
the going up to it had eight steps. 

38 And the chambers, and the entries thereof, were by the posts of 
the gates, where they washed the burnt-offering. 

39 IF And in the porch of the gate icere two tables on this side, and 
two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt-offering, and the sin- 
offering, and the trespass-offering. 



376 Ezekiel 

40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the 
north gate, were two tables ; and on the other side, which was at the 
porch of the gate, were two tables. 

41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by 
the side of the gate ; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacri- 
fices. 

42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt-offering, 
of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one 
cubit high : whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith 
they slew the burnt-offering and the sacrifice. 

43 And within were hooks, an hand broad fastened round about : 
and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering. 

44 *~ And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers 
in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate ; and 
their prospect ivas toward the south ; one at the side of the east gate, 
havi?ig the prospect toward the north. 

45 And he said unto me, This chamber whose prospect is toward 
the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house. 

46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the 
priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar : these are the sons of 
Zadok, among the sons of Levi, which come near to the Lord to 
minister unto him. 

47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an 
hundred cubits broad, four square, and the altar that was before the 
house. 

4S r And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured 
each post of the porch five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that 
side : and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and 
three cubits on that side. 

49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth 
eleven cubits : and he brought me by the steps whereby they went 
up to it : and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and 
another on that side. 

EZEKIEL, XLI. 

The measures, parts, chambers, and ornaments of the temple. 

1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, 
six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other 
side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. 

2 And the breadth of the door was ten cubits ; and the sides of the 
door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other 
side : and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits : and the 
breadth, twenty cubits. 

3 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door two 
cubits : and the door six cubits ; and the breadth of the door seven 
cubits. 

4 So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits ; and the 
breadth twenty cubits, before the temple ; and he said unto me, This 
is the most holy place. 

5 After he measured the wall of the house sis cubits ; and the 
breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on 
every side* 



Ezehiel. 



377 



6 And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty 
in order: and they entered into the wall, which ivas of the house 
for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but 
they had not hold in the wall of the house. 

7 And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward 
to the side chambers : for the winding about of the house went still 
upward round about the house : therefore the breadth of the house 
was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the 
highest by the midst. 

8 I saw also the height of the house round about : the foundations 
of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. 

9 The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber 
without, was five cubits : and that which was left was the place of 
the side chambers that were within. 

10 And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits 
round about the house on every side. 

11 And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that 
was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the 
south : and the breadth of the place that was left ivas five cubits 
round about. 

12 Now the building that was before the separate place at the end 
toward the west was seventy cubits broad ; and the wall of the 
building ivas five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof 
ninety cubits. 

13 So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long ; and the 
separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred 
cubits long ; 

14 Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate 
place toward the east, an hundred cubits. 

15 And he measured the length of the building over against the 
separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the 
one side, and on the other side, an hundred cubits with the inner 
temple, and the porches of the court; 

16 The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries 
round about on their three stories, over against the door ceiled with 
wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the 
windows were covered ; 

17 To that above the door, even unto the inner house and without, 
and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure. 

18 And it was made with cherubims and palm-trees, so that a 
palm-tree was between a cherub and a cherub ; and every cherub 
had two faces ; 

19 So that the face of a man was toward the palm-tree on the one 
side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm-tree on the other 
side : it was made through all the house round about. 

20 From the ground unto above the door, were cherubims and 
palm-trees made, and on the wall of the temple. 

21 The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the 
sanctuary ; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other. 

22 The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof 
two cubits ; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the 
walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me. This is the table 
that is before the Lord, 



37S 



Ezekiel. 



23 And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 

24 And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves ; two 
leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. 

25 And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, 
cherubims and palm-trees, like as were made upon the walls ; and 
there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without. 

26 And there were narrow windows and palm-trees on the one 
side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the 
side-chambers of the house, and thick planks. 

EZEKIEL, XLII. 

The priests' chambers: the use thereof. The outward court 
measured. 

1 Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward 
the north, and he brought me into the chamber that was over 
against the separate place, and which was before the building toward 
the north. 

2 Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and 
the breadth was fifty cubits. 

3 Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, 
and over against the pavement which was for the outer court, was 
gallery against gallery in three stories. 

4 And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits' breadth 
inward, a way of one cubit ; and their doors toward the north. 

5 Now, the upper chambers were shorter : for the galleries were 
higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the 
building. 

6 For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars 
of the courts : therefore the building was straitened more than the 
lowest and the middlemost from the ground. 

7 And the wall that ivas without over against the chambers, toward 
the outer court on the fore-part of the chambers, the length thereof 
was fifty cubits. 

8 For the length of the chambers that were in the outer court 
was fifty cubits : and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits. 

9 And from under these chambers ivas the entry on the east side s 
as one goeth into them from the outer court. 

10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court 
toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against 
the building. 

11 And the way before them was like the appearance of the 
chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as 
broad as they ; and all their goings out were both according to their 
fashions, and according to their doors. 

12 And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward 
the south ivas a door in the head of the way, even the way directly 
before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them. 

13 IT Then said he unto me. The north chambers, and the south 
chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy cham- 
bers, where the priests that approach unto the Lord shall eat the 
most holy things : there shall they lay the most holy things, and the 



Ezekiel, 



379 



meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering ; for the 
place is holy. 

14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of 
the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their 
garments wherein they minister ; for they are holy ; and shall put 
on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for 
the people. 

15 Ti" Now, when he had made an end of measuring the inner 
house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward 
the east, and measured it round about. 

16 He measured the east side with the measuring-reed, five hun- 
dred reeds, with the measuring-reed round about. 

17 He measured the north side five hundred reeds, with the 
measuring-reed round about. 

18 He measured the south side five hundred reeds, with the meas- 
uring-reed. 

19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred 
reeds, with the measuring-reed. 

20 He measured it by the four sides : it had a wall round about 
five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separa- 
tion between the sanctuary and the profane place. 

EZEKIEL, XLIIT. 

The returning of the glory of God into the temple. The sin of 
Israel hindereth God 's presence. 

1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh 
toward the east : 

2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way 
of the east ; and his voice teas like a noise of many waters : and the 
earth shine d with his glory ; 

3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I 
saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy 
the city : and the visions icere like the vision that I saw by the river 
Chebar ; and I fell upon my face. 

4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house, by the way of 
the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 

5 So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court ; 
and, behold, the giory of the Lord filled the house. 

6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house ; and the 
man stood by me. 

7 IT And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and 
the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of 
the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall the house of 
Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whore- 
dom, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places. 

S In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their 
post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have 
even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have 
committed : wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 

9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of 
their kings far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for 
ever. 



380 



Ezehiel. 



10 IF Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that 
they may be ashamed of their iniquities : and let them measure the 
pattern. 

11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them 
the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out 
thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all 
the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws 
thereof, and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole 
form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 

12 This is the law of the house ; Upon the top of the mountain, 
the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold this 
is the law of the house. 

13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits. The 
cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth ; even the bottom shall be a 
cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge 
thereof round about shall be a span : and this shall be the higher 
place of the altar. 

14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle 
shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit ; and from the lesser 
settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth 
one cubit. 

15 So the altar shall be four cubits ; and from the altar and upwards 
shall be four horns. 

16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square 
in the four squares thereof. 

17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad 
in the four squares thereof: and the border about it shall be half a 
cubit, and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about : and his stairs 
shall look toward the east. 

18 IT And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God, 
These are the ordinances of the altar, in the day when they shall 
make it, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood there- 
on. 

19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the 
seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith 
the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin-offering. 

20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four 
horns of it ; and on the four corners of the settle/and upon the bor- 
der round about : thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. 

21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin-offering : and he 
shall burn it in the appointed place of the house without the sanc- 
tuary. 

22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats with- 
out blemish for a sin-offering : and they shall cleanse the altar, as they 
did cleanse it with the bullock. 

23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a 
young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without 
blemish. 

24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests 
shall cast salt upon them,, and they shall offer them up for a' burnt- 
offering unto the Lord. 

25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin-offer- 



Ezekiel. 



381 



ing : they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a rain out of the 
flock without blemish. 

26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it, and they 
shall consecrate themselves. 

27 And when these days are expired, it shall be that upon the 
eighth day and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt- offerings 
upon the altar, and your peace-oiferings : and I will accept you, 
saith the Lord God. 

EZEKIEL, XLIT. 

The prince's gate. The priests reproved for polluting the sanc- 
tuary. 

1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward 
sanctuary, which looketh toward the east, and it was shut. 

2 Then said the Lord unto me ; This gate shall be shut, it shall 
not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it: because the Lord 
the God of Israel hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. 

3 It is for the prince : the prince he shall sit in it to eat bread be- 
fore the Lord ; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, 
and shall go out by the way of the same. 

4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the 
house : and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the 
house of the Lord : and I fell upon my face. 

5 And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold 
with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee 
concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the 
laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with 
every going forth of the sanctuary. 

6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even, to the house of Israel, 
Thus saith the Lord God, ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of 
all your abominations, 

7 In that ye .have brought into my sanctuary strangers uncircum- 
cised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to 
pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the 
blood, and they have broken my covenant, because of all your abom- 
inations. 

8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things : but ye 
have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. 

9 r Thus saith the Lord God ; No stranger, uncircumcised in 
heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of 
any stranger that is among the children of Israel. 

10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel 
went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols ; they 
shall even bear their iniquity. 

11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at 
the gates of the house, and ministering to the house : they shall slay 
the burnt-offering, and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall 
stand before them to minister unto them. 

12 Because they ministered unto thern before their idols, and 
caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity: therefore have I lifted 
up mine hand against them, saith the Lord God 3 and they shall bear 
their iniquity. 

QO 



382 



Ezekiel 



13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a 
priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the 
most holy place : but they shall bear their shame, and their abom- 
inations which they have committed : 

14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for 
all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. 

15 IT Bat the priests the Levites. the sons of Zadok, that kept the 
charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray 
from me. they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they 
shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the 
Lord God : 

16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near 
to my table to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. 

17 If And it shall come to pass, that, when they enter in at the 
gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments ; 
and no wool shall come upon them whiles they minister in the gates 
of the inner court, and within. 

18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have 
Jinen breeches upon their loins ; they shall not gird themselves with 
any thing that causeth sweat. 

19 And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the 
outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein 
they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall 
put on other garments ; and they shall not sanctify the people with 
their garments. 

20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to 
grow long ; they shall only poll their heads. 

21 Neither shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the 
inner court. 

22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that 
is put away : but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of 
Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. 

23' And they shall teach my people the difference between the 
holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean 
and the clean. 

24 And in controversy the}" shall stand in judgment; and they 
shall judge it according to my judgments : and they shall keep my 
laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies ; and they shall hallow 

my sabbaths. 

25 And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves : 
but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, 
or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves. 

26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven 
days. 

27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner 
court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith 
the Lord God. 

23 And it shall be unto them for an inheritance : I am their inher- 
itance : and ye shall give them no possession in Israel ; I am their 
possession. 

29 They shall eat the meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the 
trespass-offering ; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 

30 And the first of all the first fruits of all things, and every obla- 



Ezekiel. 



383 



tion of all, of every sort of 3~our oblations shall be the priests : ye 
shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may 
cause the blessing to rest in thine house. 

31 The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or 
torn, whether it be fowl or beast. 

EZEKIEL, XLV. 

The portion of land for the sanctuary, for the city, and for the 
prince. 

1 Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, 
ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, an holy portion of the land : 
the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and 
the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the bor- 
ders thereof round about. 

2 Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length. 
with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits 
round about for the suburbs thereof. 

3 And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and 
twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand : and in it shall be 
the sanctuary and the most holy place. 

4 The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the minis- 
ters of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the 
Lord ; and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for 
the sanctuary. 

5 And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thou- 
sand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, 
have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers. 

6 r And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand 
broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation 
of the holy portion : it shall be for the whole house of Israel. 

7 IT And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on 
the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the pos- 
session of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and be- 
fore the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and 
from the east side eastward; and the length shall be over against one 
of the portions, from the west border unto the east border. 

8 In the land shall be his possession in Israel : and my princes 
shall no more oppress my people ; and the rest of the land shall 
they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. 

9 *7 Thus saith the Lord God, Let it suffice you, princes of 
Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, 
take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God. 

10 Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. 

11 The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath 
may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth 
part of an homer : the measure thereof shall be after the homer. 

12 And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs ; twenty shekels, five 
and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. 

13 This is the oblation that ye shall offer: the sixth part of an 
ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an 
ephah of an homer of barley. 

14 Concerning the ordinance of oil s the bath of oil, ye shall offer 



384 



Ezekiel. 



the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten 
baths ; for ten baths are an homer : 

15 And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the 
fat pastures of Israel, for a meat-offering, and for a burnt-offering, for 
peace-offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord God. 

16 All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince 
in Israel. 

IT And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt-offerings, and 
meat-offerings, and drink-offerings, in the feasts, and in the new 
moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel : 
he shall prepare the sin-offering, and the meat-offering, and the 
burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings, to make reconciliation for the 
house of Israel. 

18 Thus saith the Lord God ; In the first month, in the first day 
of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish, and 
cleanse the sanctuary : 

19 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering, and 
put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the 
settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court. 

20 And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every 
one that erreth, and for him that is simple : so shall ye reconcile the 
house. 

21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall 
have the passover, a feast of seven days ; unleavened bread shall be 
eaten. 

22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for 
all the people of the land a bullock for a sin-offering. 

23 And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt-offering to 
the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the 
seven days : and a kid of the goats dahV for a sin-offering. 

24 And he shall prepare a meat-offering of an ephah for a bullock, 
and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah. 

25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall 
he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin- 
offering, according to the burnt-offering, and according to the meat- 
offering, and according to the oil. 

EZEKIEL, XLVI* 

Ordinances for the prince in his worship, and for the people. 

1 Thus saith the Lord God ; the gate of the inner court that 
looketh toward' the east shall be shut the six working days ; but on 
the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it 
shall be opened. 

2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate 
without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priest shall 
prepare his burnt-offering, and his peace-offerings, and he shall wor- 
ship at the threshold of the gate : then he shall go forth ; but the 
gate shall not be shut until the evening. 

3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this 
gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons. 

4 And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lord 



EzeJcieh 



385 



in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram 
without blemish. 

5 And the meat-offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat- 
offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to 
an ephah. 

6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock 
without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram : they shall be without 
blemish. 

7 And he shall prepare a meat-offering, an ephah for a bullock, 
and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand 
shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 

8 And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of 
the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. 

9 1T But when the people of the land shall come before the Lord 
in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north 
gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate ; and he 
that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way 
of the north gate : he shall not return by the way of the gate where- 
by he came in, but shall go forth over against it. 

10 And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go 
in ; and when they go forth, shall go forth. 

11 And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat-offering shall 
be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as 
he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 

12 Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt-offering 
or peace-offerings voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open 
him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his 
burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he did on the sabbath day : 
then he shall go forth ; and after his going forth, one shall shut the 
gate. 

13 Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt-offering unto the Lord of a 
lamb of the first year without blemish : thou shalt prepare it every 
morning. 

14 And thou shalt prepare a meat-offering for it every morning, 
the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to tem- 
per with the fine flour; a meat-offering continually, by a perpetual 
ordinance unto the Lord. 

15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat-offering, and 
; the oil, every morning, for a continual burnt-offering. 

16 H Thus saith the Lord God ; If the prince give a gift unto any 
I of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons', it shall be their 
j possession by inheritance. 

17 But it he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, 
I then it shall be his to the year of liberty ; after it shall return to the 

prince : but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them. 

18 Moreover, the prince shall not tf»ke of the people's inheritance 
by oppression, to tkrust them out o. their possession ; but he shall 
give his sons' inheritance out of his own possession : that my people 
be not scattered every man from his possession. 

19 H After he brought me through the entry, which ivas at the 
side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked 
toward the north ; and, behold, there was a place on the two sides 
westward. 



32 * 



366 



Ezekiel 



20 Then said he unto me, Thiol's the place where the priests shall 
boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, where they shall bake* 
the meat-offering ; that they bear them not out into the outer court, 
to sanctify the people. 

21 Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me 
to pass by the four corners of the court ; and, behold, in every corner 
of the court there was a court. 

22 In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of 
forty cubits long, and thirty broad: these four corners were of one 
measure. 

23 And there was a row of building round about in them, round 
about them four, and it was made with boiling-places under the rows 
round about. 

24 Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, 
where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the 
people. 



EZEKIEL, XLVII. 

The vision of the holy waters : the virtue of them, The borders 
of the land. 

1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house ; and, 
behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house east- 
ward : for the fore-front of the house stood toward the east, and the 
waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, at 
the south side of the altar. 

2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and 
led me about the way without unto the outer gate by the way that 
looketh eastward; and. behold, there ran out waters on the right 
side. 

3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth east- 
ward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through 
the waters ; the waters were to the ancles. 

4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the 
waters ; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thou- 
sand, and brought me through ; the waters were to the loins. 

5 Afterward he measured a thousand ; and it was a river that I 
could not pass over : for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a 
river that could not be passed over. 

C ft And he said unto me. Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then 
he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. 

7 Now, when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river 
were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 

8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east 
country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea : which 
being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. 

9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which 
moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live ; and there 
shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall 
come thither,: for they shall be healed ; and every thing shall live 
whither the river cometh, 

10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it, 
from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread 



Ezekiet. 



387 



forth nets : their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of 
the great sea, exceeding many. 

11 But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not 
be healed ; they shall be given to salt. 

12 And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on 
that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, 
neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed : it shall bring forth new 
fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of 
the sanctuary ; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf 
thereof for medicine. 

13 If Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border whereby 
ye shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel : 
Joseph shall have two portions. 

14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another ; concerning the 
which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers : and this 
land shall fall unto you for inheritance. 

15 And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, 
from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad ; 

16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of 
Damascus and the border of Hamath ; Hazar-hatticon, which is by 
the coast of Hauran. 

17 And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of 
Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And 
this is the north side. 

18 And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from 
Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, 
from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. 

19 And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters 
of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south 
side southward. 

20 The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a 
man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. 

21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of 
Israel. 

22 IT And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an 
inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, 
which shall beget children among you : and they shall be unto you 
as born in the country among the children of Israel : they shall have 
inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 

23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger 
sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord 
God. 

EZEKIEL, XLVIII. 

The portions of the twelve tribes, of the sanctuary, 4*c. 

1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to 
the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar- 
enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath ; 
for these are his sides east and west, a portion for Dan. 

2 And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, 
a portion for Asher. 



388 



EzekieL 



3 And by the border of Ashe*, from the east side even unto the 
west side, a. portion for Naphtali. 

4 And by the border of Xaphtali, from the east side unto the west 
side, & portion for Manasseh. 

5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west 
side, a portion for Ephraim. 

6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the 
west side, & portion for Reube n. 

7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side even unto the 
west side, a portion for Judah. 

8 % And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west 
side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty 
thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, 
from the east side unto the west side : aod the sanctuary shall be in 
the midst of it. 

9 The oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five 
and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. 

10 And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation ; 
toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the 
west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in 
breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length : 
and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. 

1 1 It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok ; 
which have kept my charge, which went not astray, when the 
children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. 

12 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them 
a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. 

13 And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have 
five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth : all 
the length shall be five and twenty* thousand, and the breadth ten 
thousand. 

14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the 
first fruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord. 

15 And the five thousand that are left in the breadth over against 
the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city : 
for dwelling, and lor suburbs : and the city shall be in the midst 
thereof. 

16 And these shaft be the measures thereof ; the north side four 
thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five 
hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the 
west side four thousand and five hundred. 

IT And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two 
hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred "and fifty, and 
toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two 
hundred and fifty. 

18 And the residue in length, over against the oblation of the holy 
portion, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward : 
and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion ; and the 
increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. 

19 And they that -serve the city shall serve it out ot all the tribes 
of Israel. 

20 All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and 



Ezekiel. 



389 



twenty thousand : ye shall offer the holy oblation four-square, with 
the possession of the city. 

21 IT And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and 
on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, 
over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the 
east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand 
toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince : and 
it shall be the holy oblation ; and the sanctuary of the house shall be 
in the midst thereof. 

22 Moreover, from the possession of the Levites, and from the pos- 
session of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, 
between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for 
the prince. 

23 As for the rest of the tribes from the east side unto the west 
side, Benjamin shall have a portion. 

24 And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west 
side, Simeon shall have a portion. 

25 And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west 
side, Issachar a portion. 

26 And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west 
side, Zebulun a portion. 

27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west 
side, Gad a portion. 

28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the bor- 
der shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesb, 
and to the river toward the great sea. 

29 This is the land whictTye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of 
Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord 
God. 

30 And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four 
thousand and five hundred measures. 

31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes 
of Israel : three gates northw r ard ; one gate of Reuben, one gate of 
Judah, one gate of Levi. 

32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred : and three 
gates ; one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 

33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures : 
and three gates ; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate 
of Zebulun. 

34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their 
three gates ; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of NaphtalL 

35 It teas round about eighteen thousand measures : and the name 
of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there, 

EZEKIEL, XXIX. B. C. 572. 

17 II And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the 
first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came 
unto me, saying, 

18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army 
to serve a great service against Tyrus : every head was made bald, 
and every shoulder was peeled ; yet had he no wages, nor his army, 
for Tyrus. for the service that he had served against it ; 



390 



Ezekiel 



19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will give the land 
of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; and he shall take 
her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey ; and it shall be 
the wages for his army. 

20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor wherewith he 
served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God. 

21 IT In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud 
forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of 
them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 

EZEKIEL, XXX. 

The desolation of Egypt, and her helpers. The arm of Babylon 
shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt. 

1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 

2 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Howl 
ye. Woe worth the day ! 

3 For the day its near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy- 
day ; it shall be the time of the heathen. 

4 And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be 
in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take 
away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 

5 Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and 
Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them 
by the sword. 

6 Thus saith the Lord ; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall ; 
and the pride of her power shall come down : from the tower of 
Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord God. 

7 And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are 
desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are 
wasted. 

8 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a 
fire in Egypt, and tchen all her helpers shall be destroyed. 

9 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships, to make 
the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, 
as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. 

10 Thus saith the Lord God ; I will also make the multitude of 
Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. 

11 He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be 
brought to destiw the land : and they shall draw their swords against 
Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 

12 And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand 
of the wicked : and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, 
by the hand of strangers : I the Lord have spoken it. 

13 Thus saith the Lord God ; I will also destroy the idols, and I 
will cause their images to cease out of Noph ; and there shall be no 
more a prince of the land of Egypt : and I will put a fear in the land 
of Egypt. 

14 And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and 
will execute judgments in No. 

15 And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt ; and 
I will cut off the multitude of No. 



Ezehiel. Daniel. 



391 



16 And I will set fire in Egypt : Sin shall have great pain, and No 
shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. 

17 The young men of Aven and of Phibeseth shall fall by the 
sword : and these cities shall go into captivity. 

IS At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall 
break there the yokes of Egypt : and the pomp of her strength shall 
cease in her : as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters 
shall go into captivity. 

19 Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt : and they shall know 
that I am the Lord. 

DANIEL, IV. B. C. 570, 

vYebuchadnezzar's dream: Daniel interpreteth it: the story of the 

event. 

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and lan- 
guages that dwell in all the earth ; Peace be multiplied unto you. 

2 I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high 
God hath wrought toward me. 

3 How great are his signs ! and how mighty are his wonders ! his 
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from genera- 
tion, to generation. 

4 H I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing 
in my palace : 

5 I saw a dream which made me afraid : and the thoughts upon 
my bed. and the visions of my head troubled me. 

6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of 
Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the inter- 
pretation of the dream. 

7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and 
the soothsayers : and I told the dream before them ; but they did 
not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. 

8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, (whose name was 
Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the 
spirit of the holy gods,) and before him I told the dream, saying, 

9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because i know that the 
spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell 
me the visions of my dream that 1 have seen, and the interpretation 
thereof. 

10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed : I saw, and, 
behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was 
great. 

11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached 
unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. 

12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and 
in it was meat for all : the beasts of the field had shadow under it, 
and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh 
was fed of it. 

13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a 
watcher and an holy one came down from heaven. 

14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off 
his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts 
get aw T ay from under it, and the fowls from his branches, 



392 



Daniel. 



15 Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even 
with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field ; and let 
it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the 
beasts in the grass of the earth. 

16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be 
given unto him ; and let seven times pass over him. 

17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand 
by the word of the holy ones : to the intent that the living may know 
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. 

18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O 
Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof ; forasmuch as all the 
wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the 
interpretation : but thou art able ; for the spirit of the holy gods is 
in thee. 

19 IT Then Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar) was astonied for 
one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake and said, 
Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble 
thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to 
them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. 

20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose 
height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth ; 

21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it 
was meat for all ; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and 
upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation : 

22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong : for thy 
greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to 
the end of the earth. 

23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming- 
down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; 
yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a 
band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field ; and let it be 
wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of 
the field, till seven times pass over him ; 

24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the 
Most High, which is come upon my lord the king : 

25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling, shall be 
with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as 
oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven 
times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth 
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 

26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree 
roots : thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalthave 
known that the heavens do rule. 

27 Wherefore, king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and 
break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing 
mercy to the poor ; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. 

28 IT All this came upon the kins; Nebuchadnezzar. 

29 " At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the 
kingdom of Babylon. 

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have 



* B. C. 569. 



D an let J eJwiacJi in . 



393 



built lor the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for 
the honor of my majesty : 

31 While the word was in the king's mouth there fell a voice from 
heaven, saying, king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken ; The 
kingdom is departed from thee ; 

32 And they shall drire thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be 
with the beasts of the field : they shall make thee to eat grass as 
oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the 
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomso- 
ever he will. 

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar : 
and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body 
was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like 
eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws. 

2 kixgs, xxv. B. C. 562. 

27 If And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the cap- 
tivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven 
and twentieth day of the month, that * Evilmerodach king of Babylon, 
in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin 
king of Judah out of prison ; 

28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne 
of the kings that were with him in Babylon ; 

29 And changed his prison garments : and he did eat bread contin- 
ually before him all the days of his life. 

30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the 
king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life. 

DAXIEL, IV. 

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine 
eye* unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I 
blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for 
ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is 
from generation to generation : 

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing : and 
he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the 
inhabitants Gf the earth : and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 
What doest thou ? 

36 At the same time my reason returned unto me ; and for the 
glorv of my kingdom mine honor and brightness returned unto me ; 
an 1 ray counsellors and my lords sought unto me ; and 1 was estab- 
lished in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of 
heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment : and 
those that walk in pride he is able to abase. 

DANIEL, VII. B. C. 555. 

DanieVs vision cf the four beasts, of God's kingdom : the interpre- 
tation thereof. 

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a 



* This prince ruled during the insanity of his father Nebuchadnezzar. 
33 



394 



Daniel. 



dream, and visions of his bead upon his bed : then he wrote the 
dream, and told the sura of the matters, 

2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, 
the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from 
another. 

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings : I beheld till the 
wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and 
made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 

5 And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised 
up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between 
the teeth of it : and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 

6 After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had 
upon the back of it four wings of a fowl : the beast had also four 
heads ; and dominion was given to it. 

7 After this I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, a fourth beast, 
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly ; and it had great iron 
teeth : it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with 
the feet of it : and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before 
it; and it had ten horns. 

8 I considered the horns, and. behold, there came up among them 
another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns 
plucked up by the roots : and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the 
eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 

9 If I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of 
days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his 
head like the pure wool : his throne was like the fiery flame, and his 
wheels as burning fire. 

10 A fiery stream issued and cam? forth from before him : thousand 
thousands ministered unto him, and" ten thousand times ten thousand 
stood before him : the judgment was set. and the books were opened. 

11 I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which 
the horn spake ; I beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body 
destroyed, and given to the burning flame, 

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion 
taken away : yet their lives w 7 ere prolonged for a season and time. 

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the son of 
man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, 
and they brought him near before him. 

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, 
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his domin- 
ion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his 
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

15 IT I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, 
and the visions of my head troubled me. 

16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the 
truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpreta- 
tion of the things. 

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall 
arise out of the earth. 

18 But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and 
possess the kingdom fur ever, even for ever and ever. 

19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was 



Daniel. 



395 



diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of 
iron, and his nails of brass ; which devoured, brake in pieces, and 
stamped the residue with his feet ; 

20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other 
which came up, and before whom three fell ; even of that horn that 
had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was 
more stout than his fellows. 

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and 
prevailed against them ; 

22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the 
saints of the Most High ; and the time came that the saints possessed 
the kingdom. 

23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon 
earth, which shall be diverse from ail kingdoms, and shall devour 
the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall 
arise : and another shall rise after them ; and he shall be diverse 
from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 

25 And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and 
shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times 
and laws : and they shall be given into his hand, until a time and 
times and the dividing of time. 

26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his domin- 
ion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 

27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king- 
dom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the 
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 
and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 

28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogi- 
tations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me : but 
I kept the matter in my heart. 

DANIEL, VIII, B. C. 553. 

DanieVs vision of a ram and he-goat. The two thousand three 
hundred days of suspension of the sacrifice. 

1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appear- 
ed unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me 
at the first. 

2 And I saw in a vision (and it came to pass, when I saw, that I 
was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam ;) 
and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. 

3- Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and, behold, there stood 
before the river a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were 
high ; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up 
last. 

4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward and south- 
ward ; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there 
any that couid deliver out of his hand ; but he did according to his 
will, and became great. 

5 And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the 
west, on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground ; and 
the goat had a notable horn between his eyes, 



396 



Daniel. 



6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen 
standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 

7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved 
with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns ; 
and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast 
him down to the ground, and stamped upon him : and there was none 
that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 

8 Therefore the he-goat waxed very great : and when he was 
strong, the great horn was broken ; and for it came up four notable 
ones, toward the four winds of heaven. 

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed 
exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward 
the pleasant land. 

10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast 
down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped 
upon them. 

11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by 
him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctu- 
ary was cast down. 

12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason 
of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground ; and it 
practised, and prospered. 

13 Ti Then i heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto 
that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision con- 
cerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give 
both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot ? 

14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred 
days ; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 

15 IT And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the 
vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before 
me as the appearance of a man. 

16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which 
called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 

17 So he came near where I stood ; and when he came I was 
afraid, and fell upon my face : but he said unto me, Understand, O 
son of man ; for at the time of the end shall be the vision. 

18 Now, as he w T as speaking wi f h me, I was in a deep sleep on my 
face toward the ground : but he touched me, and set me upright. 

19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in 
the last end of the indignation : for at the time appointed the end 
shall be. 

20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of 
Media and Persia. 

21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia : and the great horn 
that is between his eyes is the first king. 

22 Now, that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four king- 
doms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors 
are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding 
dark sentences, shall stand up. 

24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power : and 
he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall 
destroy the mighty and the holy people. 



Danieh 



25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his 
hand ; and he shall magnify h imself in his heart, and by peace shall 
destroy many : he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes ; 
but he shall be broken without hand, 

26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told 
is true : wherefore shut thou up the vision ; for it shall be for many 
days. 

27 And I Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days: afterward I 
rose up, and did the king's business,; and I was astonished at the 
vision, but none understood it. 

DANIEL, V. B, C. 538. 

Belshazzar'* s impious feast :■ a hand-writing iroubleth him : Daniel 
reproveth him, and inter preteth the writing. 

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, 
and drank wine before the thousand. 

2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the 
golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken 
out of the temple which was in Jerusalem ; that the king and his 
princes, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein. 

3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the 
temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem ; and the king 
and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. 

4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of 
brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and 
wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the 
king's palace ; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 

6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts 
troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees 
smote one against another. 

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, 
and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men 
of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the 
interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain 

1 of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 

8 Then came in all the king's wise men : but they could not read 
the waiting, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof 

9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance 
was changed in him, and his lords were astooied. 

10 U JYow the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his 
lords, came into the banquet-house ; and the queen spake and said, 

( O king, live for ever ; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy 
countenance be changed : 

11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the 
holy gods : and, in the days of thy father, light and understanding, 
and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him ; whom 
the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, / say, thy father, 
made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and sooth- 
sayers ; 

12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and under- 
standing, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and 

33 * 



393 



Daniel 



dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king 
named Bekeshazzar : now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the 
interpretation. 



13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king 
spake and said unto Daniel. Art thou that Daniel, which art of the 
children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought 
out of Jewry : 

14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee ? 
and that light, and understanding, and excellent wisdom, is found in 
thee. 

15 And now the wise men. the astrologers, have been brought in be- 
fore me. that they should read this writing, and make known unto me 
the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of 

the thing : 

16 And I have beard of thee that thou canst make interpretations, 
and dissolve doubts : now, if thou canst read the writing, and make 
known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with 
scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt he the 
third ruler in the kingdom, 

17 IF Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy 
gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet 1 will read 
the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 

18 thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy 
father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor : 

19 And, for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and 
languages, trembled and feared before him : whom he would he slew 
and whom he would he kept alive, and whom he would he set up, 
and whom he would he put down. 

20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in 
pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory 

21 And he was driven from the sons of men ; and his heart was 
made like the beast's, and his dwelling wag with the wild asses : 
they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the 
dew of heaven : till he knew that the most high God ruled in the 
kingdom of men. and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 

22 And thou his son. Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart r 
though thou knewest ail this ; 

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven ; and they 
have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy 
lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them : and 
thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and 
stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know : and the God in whose 
hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy wa} 7 s, hast thou not glori- 
fied. 

24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him ; and this writing 



was written. 

25 And this is the writing that was written. MEZsE, MEZ'^E. 
TEKEL. UPHARSJX. 

26 This is the interpretation of the thing : MENE ; God hath 
numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 

27 TEEEL ; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found 
wanting. 



Daniel. 



399 



28 PERES ; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and 
Persians. 

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with 
scarlet, and put a ehain of gold about his neck, and made a procla- 
mation concerning him, that he^should be the third ruler in the 
kingdom. 

30 IT In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 

31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about three- 
score and two years old. 

DANIEL, IX. B. C. 537. 

Daniel confesseth his sins, prayeth for the restoration of Jeru- 
salem : Gabriel informeth him of the seventy weeks, 8{c. 

1 In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of 
the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans ; 

2 In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the 
number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jere- 
miah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the 
desolations of Jerusalem. 

3 IT And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by pra} T er and 
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes : 

4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, 
and said, Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant 
and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his com- 
mandments ; 

5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity 7 , and have done 
wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts 
and from thy judgments: 

6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, 
which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, 
and to all the people of the land. 

7 Lord, righteousness belongeih unto thee ; but unto us con- 
fusion of faces, as at this day : to the men of Judah, and to the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that 
are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, 
because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 

8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our 
princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 

9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though 
we have rebelled against him : 

10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to 
walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, 
that they might not obey thy voice ; therefore the curse is poured 
upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant 
of God, because we have sinned against him. 

12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us. 
and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great 
evil : for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been 
done upon Jerusalem. 

13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon 
us : yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we 
might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 



400 



Daniel 



14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought 
it upon us : for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which 
he doeth : for we obeyed not his voice. 

15 And now, Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth 
out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee 
renown, as at this day ; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 

16 IT Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, 
let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, 
thy holy mountain : because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our 
fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that 
are about us. 

IT Now, therefore, our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, 
and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary 
that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 

18 my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and be- 
hold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name : for 
we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, 
but for thy great mercies. 

19 Lord, hear ; Lord, forgive ; Lord, hearken, and do ; 
defer not, for thine own sake, O my God : for thy city and thy people 
are called by thy name. 

20 IT And whiles 1 was speaking, and praying, and confessing my 
sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication 
before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God ; 

21 Yea, whiles i was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, 
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to .fly 
swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 

22 And he informed me y and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I 
am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 

23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came 
forth, and I am come to shew thee ; for thou art greatly beloved : 
therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 

24 * Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy 
hoi 5" city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and 
to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting right- 
eousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the 
Most Holy. 

25 Enow, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of 
the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah 
the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks : the 
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, 
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come 
shall destroy the city, and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall 
be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are deter- 
mined. 

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week 
and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the 
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall 
make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined 
shall be poured upon the desolate. 



* See B. C. 453. .Note on Ezra ; vii. 19. 



Daniel. 



401 



DANIEL, VI. B. C. 536. 

DanieVs preferment : the princes conspire against him, and he is 
cast into the den of lions : he is miraculously saved. 

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty 
princes, which should be over the whole kingdom ; 

2 And over these three presidents, of whom Daniel teas first ; that 
the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have 
no damage. 

3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, 
because an excellent spirit ivas in him ; and the king thought to set 
him over the whole realm. 

4 IF Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against 
Daniel concerning the kingdom ; but they could find none occasion 
nor fault ; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error 
or fault found in him. 

5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against 
this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his 
God. 

6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the 
king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, 
the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish 
a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask 
a petition of any p*od or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he 
shall be cast into the den of lions. 

8 Now, king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it 
be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, 
which altereth not. 

9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 

10 IT Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went 
into his house : and, his windows being open in his chamber toward 
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, 
and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 

11 Then these men a-sembled, and found Daniel praying and 
making supplication before his God. 

12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning 
the king's decree ; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man 
that shall ask a petition of any god or man within thirty days, save 
of thee, kin^, shall be cast into the den of lions ? The king an- 
swered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes 
and Persians, which altereth not. 

13 Then answered they, and said before the king, That Daniel, 
which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not 
thee, king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his 
petition three times a day. 

14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased 
with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him ; and he 
labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 

15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the 
king, Know, king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, 
That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be, 
changed. 



402 



Daniel. Ezra. 



16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast 
him into the den of lions. JVbw the king spake and said unto Daniel, 
Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 

17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den ; 
and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his 
lords, that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 

18 f\ Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fast- 
ing : neither were instruments of music brought before him ; and his 
sleep went from him. 

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in 
haste unto the den of lions. 

20 And when he came to the den he cried with a lamentable voice 
unto Daniel : and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, ser- 
vant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, 
able to deliver thee from the lions ? 

21 Then said Daniel unto the king, king, live for ever. 

22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, 
that they have not hurt me : forasmuch as before him innocency was 
found in me ; and also before thee, king, have I done no hurt. 

23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded 
that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken 
up out of the den, and no mariner of hurt was found upon him, be- 
cause he believed in his God. 

24 IT And the king commanded, and they brought those men which 
had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, 
their children, and their wives ; and the lions had the mastery of 
them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the 
bottom of the den. 

25 U Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and lan- 
guages, that dwell in all the earth ; Peace be multiplied unto you. 

26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom, men 
tremble and fear before the God of Daniel ; for he is the living God, 
and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be de- 
stroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 

27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders 
in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of 
the lions. 

28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the 
reign of Cyrus the Persian. 

B. C. 535. ezra, i. 

The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple. The 
people provide for their return. Cyrus restoreth the vessels of 
the temple to Sheshbazzar. 

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of 
the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord 
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a procla- 
mation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 

2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven, 
hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth ; and he hath charged 
me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 

8 Who is there among you of all his people ? his God be with him , 



Ezra, 



403 



and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the 
house of the Lord God of Israel (he is the God.) which is in Jeru- 
salem. 

4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let 
the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with 
goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of 
God that is in Jerusalem. 

5 IT Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, 
and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had 
raised to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jeru- 
salem. 

6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands 
with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and 
with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. 

7 IT Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of 
the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jeru- 
salem, and had put them in the house of his gods ; 

S Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of 
Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar the 
prince of Judah. 

9 And this is the number of them : thirty chargers of gold, a 
thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, 

10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hun- 
dred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 

11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and 
four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the 
captivity, that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. 

EZRA, II. 

The numher that returned. Of the priests ichich could not shew 
their pedigree. 

1 Now these are the children of the province that went up out of 
the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebu- 
chadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and 
came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; 

2 Which came with Zerubbabel. 

64 II The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand 
three hundred and threescore. 

65 Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were 
seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were 
among them two hundred singing men and singing women. 

66 Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six ; their mules, 
two hundred forty and five ; 

67 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five ; their asses, six 
thousand seven hundred and twenty. 

68 IT And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the 
house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, ottered freely for the house 
of God to set it up in his place : 

69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work, 
threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pounds 
of silver, and one hundred priests' garments. 

70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the 



404 



Ezra. 



singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and 
all Israel in their cities. 

EZRA, III. 

The altar is set up. Offerings frequented. The foundation of 
the temple laid. 

1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of 
Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as 
one man to Jerusalem. 

2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the 
priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and 
builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, 
as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 

3 And they set the altar upon his bases ; for fear was upon them 
because of the people of those countries : and they offered burnt- 
offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt-offerings morning and 
evening. 

4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and 
offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the custom, 
as the duty of every day required ; 

5 And afterward offered the continual burnt-offering, both of the 
new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were conse- 
crated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering 
unto the Lord. 

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer 
burnt- offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of 
the Lord was not yet laid. 

7 They gave money also unto the masons and to the carpenters ; 
and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of 
Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, accord- 
ing to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. 

8 * IT Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of 
God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of 
Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their 
brethren the priests and the Levites,and all they that were come out 
of the captivity unto Jerusalem ; and appointed the Levites, from 
twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house 
of the Lord. 

9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and 
his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen m 
the house of God : the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their 
brethren the Levites. 

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the 
Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the 
Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after 
the ordinance of David king of Israel. 

11 And they sung together by course, in praising and giving 
thanks unto the Lord ; because he is good, for his mercy endureth 
for ever toward Israel. And ail the people shouted with a great shout 
when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of 
the Lord was laid. 



* B. C. 535. 



Ezra. Daniel. 



405 



12 But many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers, 
who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foun- 
dation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud 
voice ; and many shouted aloud for joy ; 

13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of 
joy from the noise of the weeping of the people : for the people 
shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. 

EZRA j IV. 

The building hindered. The letter to Artaxerxes : his decree. 

1 Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that 
the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God 
of Israel, 

2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, 
and said unto them, Let us build with you ; for we seek your God as 
ye do ; and we do sacrifice unto him, since the days of Esar-haddon 
king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 

3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the 
fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to 
build an house unto our God ; but we ourselves together will build 
unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, hath 
commanded us. 

4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people 
of Judah, and troubled them in building ; 

5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, 
all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius 
king of Persia. 

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, 
wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah 
and Jerusalem. 

DANIEL, X. B. C. 534. 

Daniel having humbled himself, seeth a glorious vision : being 
troubled with fear, he is comforted by the angel, fyc. 

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed 
unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar ; and the thing 
was true, but the time appointed was long : and he understood the 
thing, and had understanding of the vision. 

2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 

3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my 
mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were 
fulfilled. 

4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was 
by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel ; 

5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, a certain 
man clothed in linen, whose loins icere girded with fine gold of 
U phax : 

6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance 
of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet 
like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the 
voice of a multitude. 

34 



406 



Daniel, 



7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision ; for the men that were with 
me saw not the vision ; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that 
they fled to hide themselves. 

8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there 
remained no strength in me : for my comeliness was turned in me 
into corruption, and I retained no strength, 

9 Yet heard 1 the voice of his words ; and when 1 heard the voice 
of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face 
toward the ground. 

10 IF And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my 
knees and upon the palms of my hands : 

11 And he said unto me, Daniel, a man greatly beloved, under- 
stand the words that 1 speak unto thee, and stand upright : for unto 
thee am I now sent. And, when he had spoken this word unto me. 
I stood trembling. 

12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel : for from the first day 
that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself 
before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words, 

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and 
twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to 
help me ; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 

14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy 
people in the latter days : for yet the vision is for many days. 

15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face 
toward the ground, and I became dumb. 

16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched 
my lips : then 1 opened my mouth and spake, and said unto him that 
stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned 
upon me, and I have retained no strength. 

17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord ? 
for, as for me. straightway there remained no strength in me, neither 
is there breath left in me. 

18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appear- 
ance of a man, and he strengthened mje, 

19 And said, man greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee; 
be strong, yea, be strong. And, when he had spoken unto me, I was 
strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak ; for thou hast strength- 
ened me. 

20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee ? and 
now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia : and, when I 
am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 

21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of 
truth : and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but 
Michael your prince, 

DANIEL, XI. 

1 Also I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to con- 
firm and to strengthen him. 

2 And new will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there- shall stand 
up j et three kings in Persia ; and the fourth shall be far richer than 
they all : and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all 
against the realm of Grecia. 



Daniel. 



40? 



3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great do- 
minion, and do according to his will. 

4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and 
shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven ; and not to his 
posterity, nor according tc his dominion which he ruled : for his 
kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides those. 

5 IF And the king of the south shall be strong, and one Gf his prin- 
ces; and he shall be strong above him. and have dominion; his 
dominion shall be a great dominion. 

6 And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for 
the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north 
to make an agreement : but she shall not retain the power of the arm ; 
neither shall he stand, nor his arm ; but she shall be given up, and 
they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strength- 
ened her in these times. 

7 But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, 
which shall come with an arm}', and shall enter into the fortress of 
the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: 

8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their 
princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold ; and he 
ghall continue more years than the king of the north. 

9 So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall 
return into his own land. 

10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude 
of great forces : and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and 
pass through ; then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his 
fortress. 

11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, ana 
shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: 
and he shall set forth a great multitude ; but the multitude shall be 
given into his hand. 

12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall 
be lifted up ; and he shall cast down many ten thousands : but he 
shall not be strengthened by it. 

13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a 
multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after 
certain years with a great army, and with much riches. 

14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king 
of the south : also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves 
to establish the vision ; but they shall fall. 

15 So the king Gf the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and 
take the most fenced cities ; and the arms of the south shall not 
withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there he any 
strength to withstand. 

16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his awn 
will, and none shall stand before him : and he shall stand in the glo- 
rious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. 

17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole 
kingdom, and upright Goes with him ; thus shall he do: and he shall 
give him the daughter of women, corrupting her ; but she shall not 
stand on his side, neither be for him. 

18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take 
many ; but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach 



408 



Daniel. 



offered by him to cease ; without his own reproach he shall cause it 
to turn upon him. 

19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land : 
but he shall stumble, and fall, and not be found. 

20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory 
of the kingdom : but within few days he shall be destroy ed, neither 
in anger nor in battle. 

21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they 
shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peace- 
ably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 

22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from be- 
fore him, and shall be broken ; yea, also the prince of the covenant, 

23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully : 
for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 

24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the 
province ; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor 
his fathers' fathers ; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, 
and riches ; yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong 
holds, even for a time. ^ 

25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king 
of the south with a great army ; and the king of the south shall be 
stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army ; but he shall 
not stand : for they shall forecast devices against him. 

26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, 
and his army shall overflow ; and many shall fall down slain. 

27 And both these kings' hearts shall he to do mischief, and they 
shall speak lies at one table ; but it shall not prosper : for yet the end 
shall be at the time appointed. 

28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches ; and his 
heart shall be against the holy covenant ; and he shall do exploits^ 
and return to his own land. 

29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the 
south : but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. 

SO TT For the ships of Chittim shall come against him ; therefore he 
shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy 
covenant : so shall he do ; he shall even return, and have intelligence 
with them that forsake the holy covenant. 

31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the 
sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and 
they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt 
by flatteries : but the people that do know their God shall be strong, 
and do exploits. 

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct 
many ; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity* 
and by spoil, many days. 

34 Now, when they shall fall they shall be holpen with a little 
help : but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and 
to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end : be- 
cause it is yet for a time appointed. 

36 IT And the king shall do according to his will ; and he shall 
exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak 



Daniel, 



409 



marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the 
indignation be accomplished : for that that is determined shall be done. 

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of 
■women, nor regard any god : for he shall magnify himself above all. 

38 But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces ; and a god 
whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and 
with precious stones, and pleasant things. 

39 Thus shall -he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, 
whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory : and he shall 
cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. 

40 % And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at 
him ; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirl- 
wind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships ; and 
he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 

41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries 
shall be overthrown : but these shall escape out of his hand, even 
Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Amnion. 

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries : and the 
land of Egypt shall not escape. 

43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of 
silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt : and the Libyans 
and the Ethiopians shall he at his steps. 

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble 
him.: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and 
utterly to make away many. 

45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palaces between the 
seas in the glorious holy mountain : yet he shall come to his end, and 
none shall help him. 

PANIEI., XII. 

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which 
standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of 
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same 
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that 
shall be found written in the book. 

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting 
contempt. 

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma- 
ment; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever 
and ever. 

4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even 
to the time of the end : many shall run to and fro, and knowledge 
shall be increased. 

5 IT Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the 
one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of 
the bank of the river. 

6 And one said to the man clothed in linei? r which was upon the 
waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders : 

7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the 
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand: 
unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever* that it shall 5 s- 

&4* 



410 



Daniel, Ezra. 



for a time, times, and an half ; and when he shall have accomplished 
to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be 
finished. 

8 And I heard, but I understood not : then said I, O my Lord, 
what shall be the end of these things ? 

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel : for the words are closed up 
and sealed till the time of the end. 

10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; but the 
wicked shall do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall understand \ 
but the wise shall understand. 

11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice sball be taken away, 
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a 
thousand two hundred and ninety days. 

12 Blessed is he that wajteth, and cometh to the thousand three 
hundred and five and thirty days. 

13 But go thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and 
stand in thy lot at the end of the days. 

B. C. 522. ezra, iv, 

7 IT And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, 
Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of 
Persia, and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, 
and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. 

8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter 
against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, in this sort : 

9 Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and 
the rest of their companions ; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the 
Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Arche vires, the Babylonians, the Su- 
sanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, 

10 And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper 
brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are 
on this side the river, and at such a time. 

11 "7 This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even 
unto Artaxerxes the king ; Thy servants, the men on this side the 
river, and at such a time. 

12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from 
thee to us, are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the 
bad city, and have set up the wails thereof, and joined the founda- 
tions. 

13 Be it known now unto the king, that if this city be builded, and 
the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and cus- 
tom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. 

14 Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and 
it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we 
sent and certified the king; 

15 That search may be made in the book of the records of thy 
fathers : so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know, that 
this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, 
and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time : for 
which cause was this city destroyed. 

16 We certify the king, that if this city be builded again, and the 
walls thereof set up. by this means thou shalt have no portion on this 
side the river, 



Ezra. Haggai, 



411 



17 U Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, 
and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that 
dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at 
such a time. 

18 The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before 
me. 

19 And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found, 
that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and 
that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. 

20 There have been mighty kings also, over Jerusalem which have 
ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and cus- 
tom, was paid unto them. 

21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and 
that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be 
given from me. 

22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this : why should damage 
grow to the hurt of the kings ? 

23 ^ Now, when the copy of king Artaxerxes 5 letter was read 
before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they 
went up in haste to Jerusalem, unto the Jews, and made them to cease 
by force and power. 

24 Then ceased the work of the house of God, which is at Jeru- 
salem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king 
of Persia. 

HAGGAI, I. B. C. 520. 

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the 
first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the 
prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and 
to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 

2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The 
time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. 

3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,. 

4 Is it time for you, ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this 
house lie waste ? 

» 5 Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your 
ways. 

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little ; ye eat, but ye have not 
enough ; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink ; ye clothe you* 
but there is none warm ; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages 
to put it into a bag with holes. 

7 H Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways. 

8 Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and build the house ; 
and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. 

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little ; and when ye 
brought it home I did blow upon it. Why ? saith the Lord of hosts. 
Because of mine house that is waste, and ye ran every man unto his 
own house. 

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the 
earth is stayed from her fruit. 

11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the moun- 
tains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, 



Haggai, 



and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and 
upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. 

12 11 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of 
Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed 
the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the 
prophet, (as the Lord their God had sent him,) and the people did 
fear before the Lord. 

13 Then spake Haggai, the Lord's messenger, in the Lord's 
message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. 

14 *7 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of 
Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jose- 
dech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remna.nt of the people ; 
and they came, and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts their 
God. 

15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second 
year of Darius the king. 

HAGGAI ? II. 

1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the 
month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 

2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Ju- 
dah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the 
residue of the people, saying, 

3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory ? 
and how do ye see it now ? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it 
as nothing ? 

4 Yet "now be strong, Zerubbabel, saith the Lord ; and be 
strong, Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong 
all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with 
you, saith the Lord of hosts ; 

5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came 
out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you : fear ye not. 

6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once, it Is a little while*, 
and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry 
land : 

7 And I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nation- gfcall 
come : and 1 will nil this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. 

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. 

9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, 
saith the Lord of hosts : and in this place will I give peace, saith the 
Lord of hosts. 

10 *I In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the sec- 
ond year of Darius, came the word cf the Lord by Haggai the 
prophet, saying, 

11 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ask now the priests concerjun? 
the law, saying, 

12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his 
skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it 
be holy ? And the priests answered and said, No. 

13 Then said Haggai, If one thai is unclean by a dead body touch . 
any cf these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests answered and said. . 
It shall be unclean. 



Haggai, Zecliariah. 



413 



14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So 25 this people, and so is this 
nation before me, saith the Lord ; and so is every work of their 
hands ; and that which they offer there is unclean. 

15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from 
before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord ; 

16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty 
measures, there were but ten : when one came to the press-fat, for 
to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. 

17 I smote you with blasting, and with mildew, and with hail, in 
all the labors of your hands ; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord, 

18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and 
twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the founda- 
tion of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it. 

19 Is the seed yet in the barn ? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig- 
tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree, hath not brought forth: 
from this day will I bless you. 

20 IT And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai, in the 
four and twentieth day of the month, saying, 

21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake 
the heavens and the earth ; 

22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms ; and I will 
destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen ; and I will over- 
throw the chariots, and those that ride in them ; and the horses and 
their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brothero 

23 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Ze- 
rubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will 
make thee as a signet : for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of 
hosts. 

ZECHARIAH, I. 

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word 
of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, the son of Iddo 
the prophet, saying, 

2 The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 

3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts^ 
Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you s 
saith the Lord of hosts. 

4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have 
cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your 
evil ways, and from your evil doings : but they did not hear, nor 
hearken unto me, saith the Lord. 

5 Your fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they live 
for ever ? 

6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants 
the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers ? and they 
returned, and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, 
according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt 
with us. 

7 II Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which 
is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of 
the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, the son of Iddo the 
prophet, sayings 



414 



Zechariah. 



8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and 
he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom ; and behind 
him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 

9 Then said I, Oh my lord, what are these ? And the angel that 
talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 

10 And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and 
said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro 
through the earth. 

11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the 
myrtle trees, and said. We have walked to and fro through the earth, 
and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. 

12 *7 Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, Lord of 
hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the 
cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these three- 
score and ten years ? 

13 And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with 
good words and comfortable words. 

14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, 
saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and 
for Zion with a great jealousy. 

15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at 
ease : for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the 
affliction. 

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; I am returned to Jerusalem 
with mercies : my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, 
and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. 

17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; My cities 
through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad ; and the Lord shall 
comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. 

IS IT Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 

19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these I 
And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered 
Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 

20 And the Lord shewed me four carpenters. 

21 Then said I, What come these to do ? And he spake, saying. 
These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did 
lift up his head : but these are come to fray them, to cast out the 
horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land ot 
Judah to scatter it, 

ZECHARIAH, II. 

1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and, behold, a man with 
a measuring line in his hand. 

2 Then said I, Whither goest thou ? And he said unto me, Tc 
measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is 
the length thereof. 

3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and 
another angel went out to meet him, 

4 And said unto him. Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jeru- 
salem shall be inhabited as towns without w T alls for the multitude oi 
men and cattle therein : 

5 For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of.fire round 
about, and will be the glory in the midst of her, 



Zechariah. 



415 



6 f Ho, ho, come forth, and flee frcra the land of the north, saith 
the Lord : for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the 
heaven, saith the Lord. 

7 Deliver thyself, Zion. that dwellest with the daughter of 
Babylon. 

S For thus saith the Lord of hosts ; After the glory hath he sent 
me unto the nations which spoiled you : for he that toucheth you 
toucheth the apple of his eye. 

9 For behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall 
be a spoil to their servants : and ye shall know that the Lord of 
hosts hath sent me. 

10 r Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion : for lo, I come, and 
will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. 

11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and 
shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou 

| shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 

12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land > 
and shall choose Jerusalem again. 

13 Be silent, all flesh before the Lord : for he is raised up out of 
his holy habitation. 



ZECHARIAH, III. 

1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the 
angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist 
him. 

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The J^ord rebuke thee, Sa- 
tan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee : Is not 
this a brand plucked out of the fire ? 

3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before 
the angel. 

4 And he answered, and spake unto those that stood before him, 
saying, take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he 
said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I 
will clothe thee with change of raiment. 

5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they 
set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And 
the angel of the Lord stood by. 

6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, 

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; if thou wilt walk in my ways, 
and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, 
and shalt also keep my courts, and 1 will give thee places to walk 
among these that stand by. 

8 Hear now, Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that 
sit before thee ; for they are men wondered at : for, behold, I wili 

\ bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 

9 For, behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one 
stone shall be seven eyes : behold, I will engrave the graving there- 
of, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land 
in one day. 

10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man 
his neighbor under the vine and under the fi^-tree. 



416 



Zecharidh. 



ZECHAR1AH, IV. 

1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, 
as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. 

2 And said unto me, What seest thou ? And I said, I have 
looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the 
top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven 
lamps which are upon the top thereof : 

3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, 
and the other upon the left side thereof. 

4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, 
What are these my lord ? 

5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, 
Knowest thou not what these be ? And I said, No, my lord. 

6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word 
of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, 
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. 

7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shali 
become a plain : and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with 
shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 

8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house ; 
his hands shall also finish it ; and thou shali know that the Lord of 
hosts hath sent me unto you. 

10 For who hath despised the daj of small things ? for they shall 
rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with 
those seven ; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro 
through the whole earth. 

11 ft Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two 
olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick, and upon the left side 
thereof ? 

12 And I answered again, and said unto him, W T hat be these two 
olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden 
oil out of themselves ? 

13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? 
And I said, No, my lord. 

14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by 
the Lord of the whole earth. 

ZECHARIAH, V. 

1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, 
a flying roll. 

2 And he said unto me, What seest thou ? and I answered, I see a 
flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth 
thereof ten cubits. 

3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over 
the face of the whole earth : for every one that stealeth shall be cut 
off as on this side, according to it; and every one that sweareth shall 
be cut off as on that side, according to it. 

4 I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter 
into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth 
falsely by my name : and it shall remain in the midst of his house, 
and shall consume it, with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof. 



Zechariah, 



417 



5 IT Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto 
me. Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. 

6 And I said, What is it? and he said, This is an ephah that goeth 
forth. He said, moreover, This is their resemblance through all the 
earth. 

7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead : and this is a 
woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. 

8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst 
of the ephah ; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 

9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came 
out two women, and the wind was in their wings ; for they had 
wings like the wings of a stork : and they lifted up the ephah between 
the earth and the heaven. 

10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these 
bear the ephah ? 

11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: 
and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. 

ZECHARIAH, VI. 

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, 
there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the 
mountains were mountains of brass. 

2 In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot 
black horses, 

3 And in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot 
grisled and bay horses. 

4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, 
What are these, my lord ? 

5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four 
spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord 
of all the earth. 

6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north 
country ; and the white go forth after them ; and the grisled go forth 
toward the south country. 

7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go, that they might walk 
to and fro through the earth : and he said, Get ye hence, walk to and 
fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 

8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these 
that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north 
country. 

9 IT And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of 
Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, 
and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah ; 

ll^Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon 
the head of Joshua the son of Josedech the high priest ; 

12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, 
saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH ; and he 
shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the 

it Lord : 

13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall bear 
the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne ; and he shall be a 

35 



418 



Zechariah. Ezra. 



priest upon his throne : and the counsel of peace shall be between 
them both. 

14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to 
Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the 
temple of the Lord. 

15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of 
the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me 
unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the 
voice of the Lord your God. 

B. C. 519. EZRA, V. 

1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of 
Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem, in 
the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. 

2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the 
son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at 
Jerusalem : and with them were the prophets of God helping them. 

3 1T At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side 
the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus 
unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make 
up this wall ? 

4 Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names 
of the men that make this building ? 

5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that 
they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius : 
and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter. 

6 U The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the 
river, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites ? 
which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king : 

7 They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus ; Unto 
Darius the king, all peace. 

8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of 
Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great 
stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, 
and prospereth in their hands. 

9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who 
commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls ? 

10 W T e asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write 
the names of the men that were the chief of them, 

11 And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants 
of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded 
these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and 
set up. 

12 But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto 
wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of 
Babylon the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the 
people away into Babylon. 

13 But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, the same 
king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God. 

14 And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, 
which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, 
and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the 



Ezra. 



419 



king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto 
one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor ; 

15 And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the 
temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his 
place. 

16 Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of 
the house of God which is in Jerusalem : and since that time, even 
until now, hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished. 

17 Now, therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search 
made in the king's treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether 
it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house 
of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concern- 
ing this matter. 

EZRA, VI. 

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in 
the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. 

2 And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the 
province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thuswritten: 

3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus the king 
made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the 
house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the 
foundations thereof be strongly laid ; the height thereof threescore 
cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; 

4 With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber : and 
let the expenses be given out of the king's house. 

5 And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, 
which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jeru- 
salem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto 
the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place 
them in the house of God. 

6 Now, therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-boz- 
nai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are bej'ond the 
river, be ye far from thence ; 

7 Let the work of this house of God alone ; let the governor of the 
Jews, and the elders of the Jews, build this house of God in his place. 

8 Moreover, I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of 
these Jews, for the building of this house of God ; that, of the king's 
goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be 
given unto these men, that they be not hindered. 

9 And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and 
rams, and lambs, for the burnt-offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, 
salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests w r hich 
are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail ; 

10 That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors unto the God of 
heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and Gf his sons. 

11 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word 5 
let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him 
be hanged thereon ; and let his hGuse be made a dunghill for this. 

12 And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there, destroy 
all kings and people that shall put to their hand to altor and to destroy 
this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a 
decree ; let it be done with speed. 



Ezra. Zecliariah. 



13 II Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, 
and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had 
sent, so they did speedily. 

14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through 
the prophesying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of 
Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the command- 
ment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of 
Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 

B. C, 517. ZECHARIAH, VII. 

1 And it came to pass, in the fourth year of king Darius, that the 
word of the Lord came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth 
month, even in Chisleu ; 

2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem- 
melech, and their men, to pray before the Lord, 

3 jflnd to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the 
Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the 
fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years ? 

4 Vi Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying, 

5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, 
When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even 
those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me ? 

6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for 
yourselves, and drink for yourselves ? 

7 Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the 
former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, 
and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south 
and the plain ? 

8 IT And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, 

9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judg- 
ment, and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother: 

10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor 
the poor ; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in 
your heart. 

11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and 
stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 

12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they 
should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath 
sent in his Spirit by the former prophets ; therefore came a great 
wrath from the Lord of hosts. 

13 Therefore it is come to pass, that, as he cried, and they would 
not hear ; so they cried, and 1 would not hear, saith the Lord of 
hosts : 

14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations 
whom they knew not: thus the land was desolate after them, that no 
man passed through nor returned ; for they laid the pleasant land 
desolate. 

ZECHARIAH, VIII. 

1 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 

2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great 
jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. 



Zeckariah. 



42i 



3 Thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell 
In the midst of Jerusalem ; and Jerusalem shall be called, A city of 
truth ; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, The holy mountain. 

4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, There shall yet old men and old 
women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his 
staff in his hand for very age. 

5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing 
in the streets thereof. 

6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it be marvellous in the eyes of 
the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous 
in mine eyes ? saith the Lord of hosts. 

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from 
the east country, and from the west country. 

8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jeru- 
salem ; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in 
truth and in righteousness. 

9 IF Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong, ye that 
hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which 
were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts 
was laid, that the temple might be built. 

10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire 
for beast ; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came 
in, because of the affliction : for I set all men every one against his 
neighbor. 

11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the 
former days, saith the Lord of hosts. 

12 For the seed shall be prosperous ; the vine shall give her fruit, 
and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give 
their dew ; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all 
these things. 

13 And it shall come to pass, that, as ye were a curse among the 
heathen, house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, 
and ye shall be a blessing : fear not, but let your hands be strong. 

14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, As I thought to punish you, 
when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, 
andT repented not : 

15 So again have I thought in these daj^s to do well unto Jerusalem 
and to the house of Judah : fear ye not. 

16 H These are the things that ye shall do, Speak ye every man 
the truth to his neighbor ; execute the judgment of truth and peace 
in your gates : 

17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his 
neighbor, and love no false oath : for ail these are things that I hate, 
saith the Lord. . 

18 And the word of the Lord of hosts, came unto me, saj-ing, 

19 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The fast of the fourth month, and 
the fast of the fifth r and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the 
tenth, shall be to the house of Judah \oy and gladness, and cheeiful 
feasts : therefore love the truth and peace. 

20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass % that 
there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities : 

21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saving, Let 

35* 



422 



Zechariah. Ezra. 



us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of 
hosts : I will go also. 

22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the 
Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. 

23 Thus saiih the Lord of hosts, in those days it shall come to 
pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, 
even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will 
go with you ; for we have heard that God is with you. 

B. C. 515. EZRA, VI. 

15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, 
which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 

16 IT And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and 
the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of thi3 
house of God with joy, 

17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred 
bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs : and for a sin-offer- 
ing for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the 
tribes of Israel. 

18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in 
their courses, for the service of God which is at Jerusalem ; as it is 
written in the book of Moses. 

19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the 
fourteenth day of the first month. 

20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of 
them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the 
captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 

21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of cap- 
tivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the 
filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, 
did eat, 

22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy : 
for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king 
of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the 
house of God, the God of Israel. 

B. C. 510. ZECHARIAH, IX. 

1 The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, 
and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of 
all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord. 

2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though 
it be very wise. 

3 And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver 
as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. 

4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power 
in the sea ; and she shall be devoured with fire. 

5 Ashkelon shall see it, and fear ; Gaza also shall see it, and be 
very sorrowful, and Ekron ; for her expectation shall be ashamed ; 
and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be in- 
habited. 

6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride 
of the Philistines. 



Zechariah. 



423 



7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abom- 
inations from between his teeth : but he that remaineth, even he, 
shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and 
Ekron as a Jebusite. 

8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, be- 
cause of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth : 
and no oppressor shall pass through them any more : for now have I 
seen with mine eyes. 

9 IT Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of 
Jerusalem : Behold, thy king cometh unto thee : he is just, and hav- 
ing salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal 
of an ass. 

10 And I wil cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from 
Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off : and he shall speak 
peace unto the heathen : and his dominion shall be from sea even to 
sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 

11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth 
thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. 

12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to-day 
do 1 declare that I will render double unto thee ; 

13 When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, 
and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and 
made thee as the sword of a mighty man. 

14 And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go 
forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and 
shall go with whirlwinds of the south. 

15 The Lord of hosts shall defend them ; and they shall devour, 
and subdue with sling-stones ; and they shall drink, and make a noise 
as through wine ; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the cor- 
ners of the altar. 

16 And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the 
flock of his people : for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted 
up as an ensign upon his land. 

17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty ! 
corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. 

ZECHARIAH, X. 

1 Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain ; so the 
Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to 
every one grass in the field. 

2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a 
lie, and have told false dreams ; they comfort in vain : therefore they 
went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no 
shepherd. 

3 IT Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished 
the goats : for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of 
Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. 

4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of 
him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together. 

5 IT And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their 
enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle : and they shall fight, 
because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be 
confounded. 



424 



Zechariali* 



6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the 
house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them ; for I 
have mercy upon them : and they shall he as though I had not cast 
them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them, 

7 And they o/Ephrairn shall be like a mighty man, and their heart 
shall rejoice as through wine : yea. their children shall see it, and be 
glad ; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. 

8 I will hiss for them, and gather them, for I have redeemed them : 
and they shall increase as they have increased. 

9 And I will sow them among the people : and they shall remem- 
ber me in far countries ; and they shall live with their children, and 
turn again. 

10 1 will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and 
gather them out of Assyria : and I will bring them into the land of 
Gilead and Lebanon ; and jilace shall not be found for them. 

11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall 
smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry 
up : and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre 
of Egypt shall depart away. 

12 Arid I will strengthen them in the Lord : and they shall walk 
up and down in his name, saith the Lord. 

ZECHARtAH, XI. 

1 Open thy doors, Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars, 

2 Howl, fir-tree ; for the cedar is fallen : because the mighty are 
spoiled : howl, ye oaks of Bashan ; for the forest of the vintage is 
come down. 

3 IT There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds ; for their 
glory is spoiled : a voice of the roaring of young lions ; for the pride 
of Jordan is spoiled. 

4 Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the flock of the slaughter, 

5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty ; 
and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord ; for I am rich : 
and their own shepherds pity them not. 

6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the 
Lord : but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's 
hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, 
and out of their hand I will not deliver them. 

7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you. poor of the 
flock. And I took unto me two staves ; the one I called Beauty and 
the other I called Bands : and i fed the flock. 

8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month ; and my soul 
loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 

9 Then said I, I will not feed you : that that dieth. let it die ; and 
that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off ; and let the rest eat every 
one the flesh of another. 

10 tT And I took my staff even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I 
might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 

11 And it was broken in that day : and so the poor of the flock that 
waited upon me knew that it teas the word of the Lord. 

12 And I said unto them, if ye think good, give me my price : and 
if not. forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 



Zechariah. 



425 



13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter : a goodly 
price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of 
silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 

14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might 
break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 

15 IT And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instru- 
ments of a foolish shepherd : 

16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not 
visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal 
that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still ; but he shall eat 
the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. 

17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock ! the sword 
shall he upon his arm, and upon his right eye : his arm shall be clean 
dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. 

ZECHARIAH, XII. B. C. 500. 

1 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, 
which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the 
earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the 
people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against 
Judah and against Jerusalem. 

3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for 
all people : all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, 
though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 

4 In that da3 r , saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with aston- 
ishment, and his rider with madness : and I will open mine eyes upon 
the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with 
blindness. 

5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem shall he my strength in the Lord of hosts their 
God. 

6 IT In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth 
of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they 
shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the 
left : and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even 
in Jerusalem. 

7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory 
of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
do not magnify themselves against Judah. 

8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; 
and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David ; and 
the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before 
them. 

9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy 
ail the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

10 IT And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhab- 
itants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of supplications : and they 
shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn 
for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness 
for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. 

11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as 
, the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 



426 



Zechariah. 



12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart ; the family of 
the house of David apart, and their wives apart ; the family of the 
house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart ; 

13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart ; 
the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart ; 

14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives 
apart. 

ZECHARIAH, XIII. 

1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, 
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 

2 IT And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, 
that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they 
shall no more be remembered ; and also I will cause the prophets 
and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 

3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, 
then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, 
Thou shalt not live ; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord : 
and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through 
when he prophesieth. 

4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be 
ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither 
shall they wear a rough garment to deceive : 

5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman ; for 
man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 

6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine 
hands ? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded 
in the house of my friends. 

7 If Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man 
that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts : smite the Shepherd, and 
the sheep shall be scattered ; and I will turn mine hand upon the 
little ones. 

8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, 
two parts therein shall be cut off, and die ; but the third shall be left 
therein. 

9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine 
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried : they 
shall call on my name, and I will hear them ; I will say, It is my 
people ; and they shall say, The Lord is my God. 

ZECHARIAH, XIV. 

1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be di- 
vided in the midst of thee. 

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle ; and the 
city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished ; 
and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of 
the people shall not be cut off from the city. 

3 H Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, 
as when he fought in the day of battle. 

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, 
which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives 



Zecliariah. 



427 



shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, 
and there shall be a very great valley : and half of the mountain 
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains ; for the valley 
of the mountains shall reach unto Azal : yea, ye shall flee, like as ye 
fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah ; 
and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 

6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be 
clear, nor dark : 

7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not 
day, nor night : but it shall come to pass, that at evening-time it shall 
be light. 

8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from 
Jerusalem ; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them 
toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 

9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : in that day shall 
there be one Lord, and his name one. 

10 All the land shall be turned as a plain, from Geba to Rimmon, 
south of Jerusalem : and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her 
place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the 
corner-gate, and from the tower of Hananiel unto the king's wine- 
presses. 

11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter 
destruction ; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited, 

12 IT And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite 
all the people that have fought against Jerusalem ; Their flesh shall 
consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall 
consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away 
in their mouth. 

13 And it shall come to pass in that da} 7 , that a great tumult from 
the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on 
the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand 
of his neighbor. 

14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem ; and the wealth of all 
the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, 
and apparel, in great abundance. 

15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the 
camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these 
tents, as this plague. 

18 IT And it shall come to pass, thai every one that is left of all the 
nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to 
year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of 
tabernacles. 

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families 
of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, 
even upon them shall be no rain. 

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have 
no rain, there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite 
the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of 
all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 

20 TF In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HO- 
LINESS UNTO THE LORD, and the pots in the Lord's house 
shall be like the bowls before the altar. 



428 



Zechariah. Esther. 



21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be Holiness : 
unto the Lord of hosts : and all they that sacrifice, shall come and I 
take of them and seethe therein : and in that day there shall be no 
more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. 

B. C. 460. esther, r. 

Ahasuerus maketh royal feasts, T r ashti sent for, refuseth to come. 

1 Now it * came to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasu- j 
erus which reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred 
and seven and twenty provinces.) 

2 Thai in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne 
of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, 

3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his i 
princes, and his servants ; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles ; 
and princes of the provinces, being before him ; 

4 When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the 
honor of his excellent majesty, many days, even an hundred and ] 
fourscore days. 

5 And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto 
all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto 
great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's 
palace, 

6 Where were white, green, and blue hangings, fastened with 
cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings, and pillars of marble : 
the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, 
and white, and black marble. 

7 And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being 
diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to 
the state of the king. 

8 And the drinking was according to the law ; none did compel : 
for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they 
should do according to every man's pleasure. 

9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal 
house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. 

10 If On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry 
with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and 
Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in 
the presence of Ahasuerus the king, 

11 To bring Vashti the queen before the king, with the crown 
royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty : for she was 
fair to look on. 

12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command- 
ment by his chamberlains : therefore was the king very wroth, and 
his anger burned in him. 

13 17 Then the king said to the wise men which knew the time5, 
(for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judg- 
ment ; 

14 And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tar- 
shish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia 



* Ahasuerus supposed to be one of the names of Artaxerxes, Longirnanus, and 
is so called by Josephus and by the Septuagint. 



Esther. 



429 



aiid Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the 
kingdom,) 

15 What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, be- 
cause she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus 
by the chamberlains ? 

16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, 
Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to 
all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of 
the king Ahasuerus. 

17 For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, 
so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall 
be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to 
be brought in before him, but she came not. 

18 Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto 
all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. 
Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath. 

19 If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from 
him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the 
Medes that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king 
Ahasuerus ; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that 
is better than she. 

20 And when the king's decree, which he shall make, shall be 
published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives 
shall give to their husbands honor, both to great and small. 

21 And the saying pleased the king and the princes ; and the king 
did according to the word of Memucan : 

22 For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every 
province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after 
their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house ; 
and that it should be published according to the language of every 
people. 

ESTHER, IT. B. C. 459, 

Out of the choice of virgins a queen to be chosen. 

1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeas- 
ed, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was 
decreed against her. 

2 Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him r Let there 
be fair young virgins sought for the king : 

3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his king- 
dom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto 
Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of 
Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their 
things for purification be given them, ; 

4 And let the maiden which ple'aseth the king be queen instead of 
Vashti. And the thing pleased the king, and he did so. 

5 U Now, in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose 
name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of 
-Kish, a Benjamite, 

6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem, with the captivity 
which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom 
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 

36 



430 



Esther. Ezra. 



7 And he brought up Hadassah (that is Esther) his uncle ? s 
daughter ; for she had neither fattier nor mother, and the maid was 
fair and beautiful : whom Mordecai (when her father and mother 
were dead) took for his own daughter. 

8 H So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his de- 
cree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together 
unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was 
brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of 
the women. 

9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him ; 
and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things 
as belonged to her, and seven maidens which were meet to be given 
her, out of the king's house : and he preferred her and her maids unto 
the best place of the house of the women. 

10 Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred : for Mor- 
decai had charged her that she should not shew it. 

11 And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's 
house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her. 

12 IT Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahas- 
uerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the man* 
ner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accom- 
plished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with 
sweet odors, and with other things for the purifying of the women :) 

13 Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she 
desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women 
unto the king's house. 

14 In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into 
the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz the 
king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines : she came in unto 
the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were 
called by name. 

B. C. 458. ezka, vii. 

1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia,. 
Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 

2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 

3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 

4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 

5 The son of Abislma. the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the 
eon of Aaron the chief priest : 

6 This Ezra went up from Babylon ; and he teas a ready scribe in 
the law of Moses, which the Lord Gon of Israel had given : and the 
king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord 
his God upon him. 

7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the 
priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the 
Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxe3 the 
king. 

8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month which was in the 
seventh year of the king. 

9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from 
Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, 
according to the good hand of his God upon him. 



V 

Ezra. 431 

10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, 
and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. 

11 IT Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes 
gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of 
the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel. 

12 * Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the 
law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 

13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of 
his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own 
free will to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 

14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven coun- 
sellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the 
law of thy God which is in thine hand ; 

15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his coun- 
sellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is 
in Jerusalem, 

16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province 
of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, 
offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem : 

17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money, bullocks, rams, 
lambs, with their meat-offerings, and their drink-offerings, and offer 
them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 

18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, 
to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of 
your God. 

19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house 
of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 

20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, 
which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's 
treasure-house. 

21 And J, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the 
treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the 
priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of 
you, it be done speedily. 

22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures 
of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths 
of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 

23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be dili- 
gently done for the house of the God of heaven : for why should there 
be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons ? 

24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Le- 
vites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, 
it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. 

25 And thou Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is in thine 
hand, set magistrates and judges^ which may judge all the people that 
are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God ; and 
teach ye them that know them not. 

26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of 



* This seems to be the decree to which the prophet Daniel was cited. Daniel, ix. 
24 and 25. And calculating from this date, B. C. 458, gives us, reckoning a week 
seven years, which is doubtless the true reckoning, 65 weeks and three days to the 
coming of Christ, to which add 33 years, the term of Christ's life, and we have 70 
weeks and one day. 



432 



Ezra. 



the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it he 
unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to impris- 
onment. 

27 IT Blessed he the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such 
a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord 
which is in Jerusalem ; 

28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king and his coun- 
sellors, and before all the king's mighty princes ; and I was strength- 
ened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered 
together out of Israel chief men to go up with me. 

EZRA, VIII. 

1 These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the gene- 
alogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of 
Artaxerxes the king. 

2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom ; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel ; 
of the sons of David, Hattush ; 

3 Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh, Zechariah ; 
and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred 
and fifty. 

4 Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and 
with him two hundred males. 

5 Of the sons of Shechaniah ; the son of Jahaziel, and with him 
three hundred males. 

6 Of the sons also of Adin ; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with 
him fifty males. 

7 And of the sons of Elam ; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with 
him seventy males. 

8 And of the sons of Shephatiah ; Zebadiah the son of Michael, 
and with him fourscore males. 

9 Of the sons of Joab ; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two 
hundred and eighteen males. 

10 And of the sons of Shelomith ; the son of Josiphiah, and with 
him an hundred and threescore males. 

11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with 
him twenty and eight males. 

12 And of the sons of Azgad ; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and 
with him an hundred and ten males. 

13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whoser names are these 3 
Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males. 

14 Of the sons also of Bigvai ; Uthai, and Zabbud> and with them 
seventy merles. 

15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to 
Ahava ; and there abode we in tents three days : and I viewed the 
people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. 

16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elna- 
than, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zecha- 
riah, and for Meshullam, chief men ; also for Joiarib, and for Elna- 
than, men of understanding. 

17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the 
place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and 
to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should 
bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. 



Ezra. 



433 



18 And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a 
man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son 
of Israel ; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; 

19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his 
brethren and their sons, twenty ; 

20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appoint- 
ed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: 
all of them were expressed by name. 

21 H Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we 
might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for 
us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 

22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and 
horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way ; because we had 
spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them 
for good that seek him ; but his power and his wrath is against all 
them that forsake him. 

23 So we fasted, and besought our God for this : and he was en- 
treated of us. 

24 11 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, 
Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them ; 

25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, 
even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his 
counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered : 

28 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of 
silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred 
talents ; 

27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams : and two vessels 
of fine copper, precious as gold. 

28 And I said unto them, Ye ore holy unto the Lord ; the vessels 
are holy also ; and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering unto 
the Lord God of your fathers. 

29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh th em before the chiet 
of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at 
Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord. 

30 So took the priests and the Levites, the weight of the silver, 
and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the 
bouse of our God. 

31 % Then we departed frora-the river Ahava on the twelfth day 
of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God 
was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of 
f,uch as lay in wait by the way. 

32 And we. came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 

33 If Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the 
vessels weighed in the house of our God, by the hand of Me re moth 
the sGn of Uriah the priest ; and with him was Eleazar the son of 
Phi neb as ; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noa- 
diah the son of Blnnui, Levites ; 

34 By number and by weight of every one : and ail the weight 
was written at that time. 

35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which 
were come out of the captivity, offered burnt- offerings unto the God 
of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and sis rams, seventy 

36 * 



434 



Ezra. 



and seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering : all this was a 
burnt-offering unto the Lord. 

36 IT And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's 
lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river : and they 

furthered the people, and the house of God. 

B. C. 457. ezra, ix. 

1 Now, when these things were done, the princes came to me> 
saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have 
not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing accord- 
ing to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the 
Pei izzites, the Jebu sites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, 
and the Amorites. 

2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for 
their sons : so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the 
people of those lands : yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath 
been chief in this trespass. 

3 And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle, 
and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down 
astonied. 

4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the 
words' of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that 
had been carried away ; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 

5 IT And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness j 
and, having rent my garment and my mantle, 1 fell upon my knees, 
and spread out my hands unto the Lord m}* God, 

6 And said, O my God ! I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face 
to thee, my God : for our iniquities are increased over our head, and 
our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 

7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass 
unto this day ; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our 
priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the 
sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this 
day. 

S And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the 
Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail 
in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a 
little reviving in our bondage. 

9 For we were bondmen ; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our 
bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of 
Persia, to give us a reviving to set up the house of our God, and to 
repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in 
Jerusalem. 

10 And now, our God, what shall we say after this ? for we have 
forsaken thy commandments, 

11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, 
saying. The land, unto which ye s;o to possess it, is an unclean land 
with the fiithiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, 
which have filled it from one end to another with their unclean- 
ness. 

12 Now, therefore, give not your daughters unto their sons, neither 
take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their 



Ezra. 



435 



wealth for ever ; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, 
and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 

13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for 
ourgreat trespass, seeing that thou, our God, hast punished us less 
than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as 
this ; 

14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affi- 
nity with- the people of these abominations, wouklest not thou be 
angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no 
remnant nor escaping ? 

15 Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous ; for we remain yet 
escaped, as it is this day ; behold, we are before thee in our tres- 
passes : for we cannot stand before thee because of this. 

EZRA, X. 

1 Now, when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, 
weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there 
assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men, 
and women, and children : for the people wept very sore. 

2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sous of Elam, 
answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, 
and have taken strange wives of the people of the land : yet now 
there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. 

3 Now, therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put 
away all the wives, and such as are born of "them, according to the 
counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment 
of our God ; and let it be done according to the law. 

4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with 
thee ; be of good courage, and do it. 

5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and 
all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word : and 
they sware. 

6 IT Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went 
into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib ; and ichen he 
came thither he did eat no bread, nor drink water : for he mourned 
because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. 

7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem 
unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather them- 
selves together unto Jerusalem ; 

8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, accord- 
ing to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance 
should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of 
those that had been carried away. 

9 % Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves 
together unto Jerusalem within three days : it was the ninth month, 
and the twentieth day of the month : and all the people sat in the 
street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for 
the great rain. 

10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have 
transgressed, and have taken strange wives to increase the trespass 
of Israel. 

11 Now, therefore, make confession unto the Lord God of your 



436 



Ezra. Esther. 



fathers, and do his pleasure ; and separate yourselves from the people j 
of the land, and from the strange wives. 

12 Then all the congregation answered and said, with a loud voice, 
As thou hast said, so must we do. 

13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we 
are not able to stand without, neither is ihis a work of one day or j 
two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. 

14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them I 
which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, 
and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until j 
the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. 

15 H Only Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of 
Tikvah, were employed about this matter; and Meshullam, and 
Shabbethai the Levite, helped them. 

16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, I 
with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and I 
all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first J 
day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 

17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange 
wives by the first day of the first month. 

B. C. 456. ESTHER, II. 

15 H Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the 
uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to 
go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king'3 
chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther ob- j 
tained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her. 

16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal 
in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year I 
of his reign. 

17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she ob- 
tained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins ; so that 
he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead 
of Vashti. 

18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his 
servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, . 
and gave gifts, according to the state of the king. 

19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, 
then Mordecai satin the king's gate. 

20 Esther had sot yet shewed her kindred nor her people; a* 
Mordecai had charged her : for Esther did the commandment of 
Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. 

21 TT In those days while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of 
the king's chamberlain's, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept * 
the door, were wroth, and sought to 'ay hand on the 4dng Ahasuerus. I 

22 And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther 
the queen ; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name, j 

23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found 
out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree : and it was written 
in the book of the chronicles before the kins:. 

B. C. 452. ESTHER, III. 

I After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman, the son 



Esther. 



of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat 
above all the princes that were with him. 

2 And all the king's servants, that icere in the king's gate , bowed, 
and reverenced Haraan : for the king had so commanded concerning 
him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. 

3 Then the king's servants which were in the king's gate said unto 
I | Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment ? 

4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he 
hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mor- 
decai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. 

5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him 
reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 

6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone ; for they 
had shewed him the people of Mordecai : wherefore Haman sought 
to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of 

j Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. 

7 * IT In the first month, that is the month Nisan, in the twelfth 
year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman 
from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, 
that is the month Adar. 

8 IF And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people 
scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces 

I of thy kingdom ; and their laws are diverse from all people, neither 
: keep they the king's laws : therefore it is not for the king's profit to 

> suffer them. 

> 9 If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed ; 
and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those 

1 that have the charge of the business, to bring it unto the king's 
treasuries. 

10 And the king took his ring from his hand and gave it unto Ha- 
man, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. 
.: 11 And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the 
people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 

12 Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of 
l the first month, and there was written, according to all that Haman 

had commanded, unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors 
that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of 
every province, according to the writing thereof, and to every people 
after their language : in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, 
and sealed with the king's ring, 

13 And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, 
to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and 
old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth 
day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the 
spoil of them for a prey. 

14 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in 
every province was published unto all people, that they should be 
ready against that day. 

I 15 The posts went out, being hastened by the king's command- 
ment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the 
king and Haman sat down to drink ; but the city Shushan was per- 
plexed. 



* b, p. 4jii, 



438 



Esther. 



ESTHER, IV. 

Mordecai and the Jews mourn. Esther appointeth a fast. 

1 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, "Mordecai rent his 
clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst 
of the city, and cried with a loud and with bitter cry ; 

2 And came even before the king's gate : for none might enter 
into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 

3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment 
and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, 
and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth 
and ashes. 

4 IT So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. 
Then was the queen exceedingly grieved ; and she sent raiment to 
clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him : but he 
received it not. 

5 Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, 
whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a command- 
ment to Mordecai to know what it was, and why it was. 

6 So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, 
which ivas before the king's gate 

7 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and 
of the sum of the money that Hainan had promised to pay to the 
king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them: 

8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was 
given at Shushan to destrov them, to shew it unto Esther, and to 
declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the 
king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him 
for her people. 

9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 

10 TI Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him command- 
ment unto Mordecai; 

11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, 
do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto 
the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of 
his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out 
the golden sceptre, that he may live : but I have not been called to 
come in unto the king these thirty days. 

12 And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. 

13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with 
thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the 
Jews. 

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall 
there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another 
place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed : and who 
knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as 
this ? 

15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer ; 

16 Go gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, 
and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night nor 
day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise ; and so will I go in 
unto the king, which is not according to the law : and if I perish, I 
perish. 



Esther, 



17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther 
had commanded him. 

ESTHER, V. 

Esther, obtaining the king's favor, inviteth the king and Haman 
to a banquet, 

1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her 
royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over 

* against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in 
the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 

2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in 
the court, that she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out 
to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew 
near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 

3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? 
and what is thy request ? it shall be even given thee to the half of 
the kingdom. 

4 And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the 
king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that 1 have pre- 
pared for hirn. 

5 Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may 
do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet 

I that Esther had prepared. 

6 IT And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What 
- ; is thy petition ? and it shall be granted thee : and what is thy re- 
I quest ? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. 

I 7 Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 

-i 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please 
the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the 
king and Hainan come to the banquet that I shall prepare tor them, 
and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said. 

9 II Then went Hainan forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: 
but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood 

I not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mor- 
decai. 

10 Nevertheless, Haman remained himself: and when he came 
> | home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 

11 And Hainan told them of the glory of his riches, and the mul- 
titude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had pro- 

: moted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and 
N servants of the king. 

12 Haman said, moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man 
jl I come in with the kins unto the banquet that she had prepared but 
-i rayself : and to-morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. 

13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as 1 see Mordecai the 

• j'j Jew sitting at the king's gate. 

14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a 
gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou unto 
the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon : then go thoa in 

:r merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased 
: Haman ; and he caused the gallows to be made. 



440 



Esther. 



ESTHER, VI. 

jShasuerus re-war deth Mordecai : Haman doeth him honor. 

1 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to 
bring the book of records of the chronicles ; and they were read 
before the king. 

2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and 
Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who 
sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. 

3 And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been done to 
Mordecai for this ? Then said the king's servants that ministered 
unto him, There is nothing done for him. 

4 If And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was 
come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the 
king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 

5 And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth 
in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 

6 So Haman came in. And the kino- said unto him, What shall be 
done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor ? Now Haman 
thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor 
more than to myself? 

7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king 
delighteth to honor, 

8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, 
and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which 
is set upon his head ; 

9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of 
the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal 
whom the king delighteth to honor, and bring: him on horseback 
through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall 
it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor. 

10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the ap- 
parel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the 
Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate : let nothing fail of all that thou 
hast spoken. 

11 % Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed 
Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the 
city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man 
whom the king delighteth to honor. 

12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman 
hasted to his house mourning and having his head covered. 

13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing 
that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife 
unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom 
thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shait 
surely fall before him. 

14 And while they were yet talking with him came the kinsfs 
chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that 
Esther had prepared. 

ESTHER, VII. 

Esther suethfor her own life and her people's. The king causeth 
Haman to be hanged on his own gallows. 
1 So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 



Esther. 



441 



2 And the king said again unto Esther, on the second day, at the 
banquet of wine, What?s thy petition, queen Esther ? and it shall be 
granted thee : and what is thy request ? and it shall be performed, 
even to the half of the kingdom. 

3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor 
in thy sight, king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me 
at my petition, and my people at my request. 

4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, 
and to perish : but if we had been sold for bond-men and bond- women 
I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the 
king's damage. 

5 IT Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the 
queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart 
to do so ? 

6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked 
Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 

7 IF And the king, arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath, 
went into the palace-garden, and Haman stood up to make request 
for his life to Esther the queen : for he saw that there was evil deter- 
mined against him by the king. 

8 Then the king returned out of the palace-garden, into the place 
of the banquet of wine ; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon 
Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before 
me in the house ? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they 
covered Haman's face. 

9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, 
Behold also the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made 
for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the 
house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 

10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows, that he had prepared 
for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified. 

ESTHER, VIII. 

1 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the 
Jews' enemy, unto Esther the queen : and Mordecai came before the 
king ; for Esther had told what he was unto her. 

2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, 
and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house 
of Haman. 

3 IT And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at 
his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of 
Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the 
Jews. 

4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So 
Esther arose, and stood before the king, 

5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his 
sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in 
his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, 
the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the 
Jews which are in all the king's provinces. 

6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my 
people ? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred ? 

37 1 



442 



Esther. 



7 IT Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen, and to 
Mordecai the Jew, Behold, 1 have given Esther the house of Haman, 
and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his 
hand upon the Jews. 

8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, 
and seal it with the king's ring : for the writing which is written in 
the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse. 

9 Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third 
month, (that is the month Si van,) on the three and twentieth day 
thereof; and it was written, (according to all that Mordecai com- 
manded,) unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and 
rulers of the provinces, which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hun- 
dred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to 
the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and 
to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their lan- 
guage. 

10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with 
the king's ring ; and sent letters by post on horseback, and riders on 
mules, camels, and young dromedaries : 

11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city 
to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, 
to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and pro- 
vince that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to 
take the spoil of them for a prey ; 

12 Upon one day, in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, 
upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month 
Adar. 

13 IT The copy of the writing, for a commandment to be given in 
every province, ivas published unto all people, and that the Jews 
should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their 
enemies. 

14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being 
hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the de- 
cree was given at Shushan the palace. 

15 IT And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal 
apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with 
a garment of fine linen and purple ; and the city of Shushan rejoiced 
and was glad. 

16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor. 

17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the 
king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and 
gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the 
land became Jews ; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. 

ESTHER, IX. 

The Jews slay their enemies, with the ten sons of Haman. The 
two days of Purim are made festival. 
1 Now, in the twelfth month, (that is the month Adar,) on the 
thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his 
decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies 
of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned 
to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them,) 



Esther. 



443 



2 The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities, through- 
out ali the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as 
sought their hurt ; and no man could withstand them : for the fear of 
them fell upon all people. 

3 And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the 
deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews ; because the fear 
of Mordecai fell upon them. 

4 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went 
out throughout all the provinces : for this man Mordecai waxed 
greater and greater. 

5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the 
sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto 
those that hated them. 

6 And in Shush an the palace, the Jews slew and destroyed five 
hundred men. 

7 And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 

8 And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 

9 And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, 

10 The ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy 
of the Jews, slew they ; but on the spoil laid they not their hand. 

11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan 
the palace was brought before the king. 

12 IT And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have 
slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the 
ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's 
provinces ? Now, what is thy petition ? and it shall be granted 
thee : or what is thy request further ? and it shall be done. 

13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the 
Jews which are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this 
day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. 

14 And the king commanded it so to be done : and the decree was 
given at Shushan ; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 

15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves to- 
gether on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three 
hundred men at Shushan ; but on the prey they laid not their hand. 

16 But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered 
themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their 
enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they 
laid not their hands on the prey. 

17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar ; and on the four- 
teenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting 
and gladness. 

18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the 
thirteenth clay thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the 
fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting 
and gladness. 

19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled 
towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness 
and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. 

20 * IT And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all 
the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both 
nigh and far, 



* B, C. 450. 



444 



Esther. 



21 To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth 
day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 

22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and 
the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from 
mourning into a good day : that they should make them days of feast- 
ing and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the 
poor. 

23 And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mor- 
decai had written unto them ; 

24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the 
enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jew T s to destroy them, 
and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy 
them ; 

25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by 
letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, 
should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be 
hanged on the gallows. 

26 Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of 
Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which 
they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto 
them, 

27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, 
and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not 
fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, 
and according to their appointed time every year ; 

28 And that these days should be remembered and kept through- 
out every generation, every family, every province, and every city ; 
and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, 
nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. 

29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai 
the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of 
Purim. 

30 And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred 
twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with 
words of peace and truth, 

31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, ac- 
cording as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined 
them, and as they had decreed for themselves, and for their seed, the 
matters of the fastings and their cry. 

32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim \ 
and it was written in the book. 

B. C. 446. ESTHER, X. 

1 And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon 
the isles of the sea. 

2 And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declara- 
tion of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, 
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 
Media and Persia ? 

3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great 
among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, 
seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed. 



Nehemiah. 



445 



NEHEMIAH, I. B. C. 444, 

jYehemiah, understanding by Hanani the misery of Jerusalem, 
mourneth, fasteth, and prayeth: his prayer. 

1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. And it came to 
pass, in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shu- 
shan the palace, 

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of 
Judah ; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, 
which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the cap- 
tivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach ; the 
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are 
burnt with fire. 

4 IT And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down 
and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before 
the God of heaven, 

5 And said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, the great and 
terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love 
him, and observe his commandments ; 

6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou 
mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee 
now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and con- 
fess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against 
thee : both I and my father's house have sinned, 

7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept 
the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou 
commandedst thy servant Moses. 

8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy 
servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad 
among the nations : 

9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do 
them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of 
the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them 
unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 

10 Now, these are thy servants, and thy people, whom thou hast 
redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 

110 Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the 
prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire 
to fear thy name : and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and 
grant him mercy in the sight of this man : for I was the king's cup- 
bearer. 

NEHEMIAH, II. 

Ariaxerxes understanding the cause of JYehemiah? s sadness y sendeih 
him with two letters and, a commission to Jerusalem. 

1 And it came to pass, in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year 
of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him : and I took up 
the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now, I had not been before- 
time sad in his presence. 

2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, 

37 * 



446 



Nehemiak. 



seeing thou art not sick ? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart. 
Then I was very sore afraid, 

3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever : why should 
not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers 5 
sepulchres, Heth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with 
fire ? 

4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? 
So I prayed to the God of heaven. 

5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy ser- 
vant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto 
Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 

6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For 
how long shall thy journey be ? and when wilt thou return ? So it 
pleased the king to send me ; and I set him a time. 

7-Moreover, I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters 
be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may con- 
vey me over till I come into Judah ; 

8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he 
may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which 
appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the 
house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me according to 
the good hand of my God upon me. 

9 IT Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them 
the king's letters. (Now the king had sent captains of the army and 
horsemen with me.) 

10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the 
Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was 
come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 

11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 

12 IT And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me : 
neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at 
Jerusalem : neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that 
I rode upon. 

13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even be- 
fore the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of 
Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were 
consumed with fire. 

14 Then 1 went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's 
pool : but there ivas no place for the beast that was under me to 
pass. 

15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the 
wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so 
returned. 

16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither 
had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, 
nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. 

17 IT Then said 1 unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, 
how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with 
fire : come and let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no 
more a reproach. 

18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon 
me ; a3 also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they 
said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for 
this good work. 



Nehemiah. 



447 



19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the 
Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to 
scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do ? Will 
ye rebel against the king ? 

20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven 
he will prosper us : therefore we his servants will arise and build : 
but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. 

NEHEMIAH, III. 

The names and order of them that builded the wall. 

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up, with his brethren the 
priests, and they builded the sheep-gate ; they sanctified it. and set 
up the doors of it ; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, 
unto the tower of Hananeel. 

2 And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to 
them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. 

3 But the fish-gate did the sons of Kassenaah build, who also laid 
the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, 
and the bars thereof. 

4 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the 
son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of 
Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired 
Zadok the son of Baana. 

5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired ; but their nobles put 
not their necks to the work of tbeir Lord. 

6 Moreover, the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and 
Meshullam the son of Besodeiah ; they laid the beams thereof, and 
set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 

7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon 
the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, anto the throne 
of the governor on this side the river. 

8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the gold- 
smiths. Next unto him also repaired Kananiah the son of one of 
the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall. 

9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the 
ruler of the half part of Jerusalem. 

10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, 
even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Kattush 
the son of Hashabniah. 

11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath- 
moab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces. 

12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the 
ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. 

13 The valley-gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zano* 
ah ; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and 
the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung- 
gate. 

14 But the dung-gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the 
ruler of part of Beth-haecerem ; he built it, and set up the doors 
thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 

15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallum the son of Col- 
hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah ; he built it, and covered it, and 



448 



Nehemiah. 



set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and 
the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the 
stairs that go down from the city of David. 

16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of 
the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres 
of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the 
mighty. 

17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next 
unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in 
his part. 

18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, 
the ruler of the half part of Keilah. 

19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of 
Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armory, at the 
turning of the wall. 

20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the 
other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house 
of Eiiashib the high priest. 

21 After him repaired Me re moth the son of Urijah the son of Koz 
another piece, from the door of the house of Eiiashib even to the end 
of the house of Eiiashib. 

22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain. 

23 After him repaired Benjamin, and Hashub, over against their 
house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of 
Ananiah, by his house. 

24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad, another piece, 
from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto 
the corner. 

25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and 
the tower which lieth out from the king's high house, that was by 
the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh. 

28 Moreover, the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over 
against the water-gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out. 

27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the 
great tower that lieth out, even unto the wail of Ophel. 

23 From above the horse-gate repaired the priests, every one over 
against his house. 1 

29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer, over against his 
house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, ' 
the keeper of the east gate. 

30 After him repaired H ananiah, the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun ! 
the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. Alter him repaired Meshul- - 
lam the son of Berechiah, over against his chamber. 

31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son, unto the ' 
place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate 
Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner, 

32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep-gate 
repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants. 

XEHEMIAH, IV. 

While the enemies scoff Nehemiah pray eth : he seiteth a watch. 
1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded 



Nehemiali. 



449 



the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the 
Jews. 

2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and 
said, What do these feeble Jews ? will they fortify themselves ? will 
they sacrifice ? will they make an end in a day ? will they revive the 
stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burnt ? 

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that 
which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their 
stone-wall. 

4 Hear, our God ; for we are despised : and turn their reproach 
upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of cap- 
tivity; 

5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out 
from before thee : for they have provoked thee to anger before the 
builders. 

6 So built we the wall ; and all the wall was joined together unto 
the half thereof : for the people had a mind to work. 

7 IT But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the 
Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the 
walls of Jerusalem w r ere made up, and that the breaches began tobe 
stopped, then they were very wroth, 

8 And conspired all of them together, to come and to fight against 
Jerusalem, and to hinder it. 

9 Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch 
against them day and night, because of them. 

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is de- 
cayed, and there is much rubbish ; so that we are not able to build 
the wall. 

11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till 
we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the 
work to cease. 

12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them 
came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall 
return unto us they will be upon you. 

13 IT Therefore set I in the lower places behind the w r ail, and on 
the higher places, I even set the people after their families, with 
their swords, their spears, and their bows. 

14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the 
rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them : 
remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your 
brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your 
houses. 

15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known 
unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we re- 
turned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 

16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my 
servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both 
the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the 
rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 

17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, 
with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the 
work, and with the other hand held a weapon. 

18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, 
and so builded ; and he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 



450 



Neliemiah. 



19 IF And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest 
of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated 
upon the wall, one far from another. 

20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort 
ye thither unto us : our God shall fight for us. 

21 So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears 
from the rising of the morning, till the stars appeared. 

22 Likewise at the same time, said I unto the people, Let every 
one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they 
may be a guard to us, and labor on the day. 

23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men 
of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, 
saving that every one put them off for washing. 

NEHEMIAHj V. 

1 And there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives, 
against their brethren the Jews. 

2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are 
many ; therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and 
live. 

3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, 
vineyards, and houses, that we might buy com, because of the 
dearth. 

4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the 
king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. 

5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children 
as their children : and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our 
daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into 
bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeem them ; for 
other men have our lands and vineyards. 

6 IT And I was very angry when I heard their cry, and these words. 

7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and 
the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his 
brother. And I set a great assembly against them ; 

8 And I said unto them, We, after our ability, have redeemed our 
brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen : and will ye 
even sell your brethren ? or shall they be sold unto us ; Then held 
they their peace, and found nothing to answer. 

9 Also 1 said, It is not good that ye do : ought ye not to walk in 
the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our 
enemies ? 

10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of 
them money and corn ; 1 pray you let us leave off this usury. 

11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their 
vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, also the hundredth 
part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye 
exact of them. 

12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing 
of them ; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, 
and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this 
promise. 

13 Also I shook my lap, and said. So God shake out every man 



Nehemiah. 



451 



from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise, 
even thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation 
said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to 
this promise. 

14 IT Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their gov- 
ernor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the 
two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, 
I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. 

15 But the former governors, that had been before me, were 
chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, 
beside forty shekels of silver ; yea, even their servants bare rule over 
the people : but so did not I, because of the fear of God. 

16 Yea also, I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought 
we any land : and all my servants were gathered thither unto the 
work. 

17 Moreover, there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the 
Jews and rulers, besides those that came unto us from among the 
heathen that are about us. 

18 Now, that which was prepared for me daily was one ox, and 
six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten 
days store of all sorts of wine : yet for all this required not I the bread 
of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. 

19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have 
done for this people. 

NEHEMIAH, VI. 

Sanballat practiseth to terrify JSTehemiah, The work is finished. 
Secret intelligence between the enemies and the nobles of Judah. 

1 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem 
the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded 
the wall, and that there was no breach left therein, (though at that 
time I had not set up the doors upon the gates,) 

2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us 
meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono: but 
they thought to do me mischief. 

3 And 1 sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great 
work, so that I cannot come down : why should the work cease, 
whilst I leave it, and come down to you ? 

4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answ r ered 
them after the same manner. 

5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner, the fifth 
time, with an open letter in his hand ; 

6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and 
Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel : for which 
cause thou buildest the wall, that thou may est be their king, accord- 
ing to these words. 

7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jeru- 
salem, saying, There is a king in Judah : and now shall it be report- 
ed to the king according to these words. Come now, therefore, and 
let us take counsel together. 

8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as 
thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. 



452 



X eh em i all. 



9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weak- 
ened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, 
strengthen my hands. 

10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of De- 
laiah the son of Mehetabeel. who was shut up; and he said, Let us 
meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut 
the doors of the temple : for they will come to slay thee : yea, in the 
night will they come to slay thee. 

11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there , that 
being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life: I will not 
go in. 

12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him : but that he 
pronounced this prophecy against me : for Tobiah and Sanbaliat had 
hired him. 

13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so. and 
sin, and that they might hare matter for an evil report, that they 
mis;ht reproach me. 

14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah, and Sanbaliat, according to 
these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the 
prophets, that would have put me in fear. 

15 IT So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the 
month Elul, in fifty and two days. 

16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, 
and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were 
much cast down in their own eyes : for they perceived that this work 
was wrought of our God. 

17 r Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters 
unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. 

13 For there icere many in Judah sworn unto him, because he 
was the son-in-law of Sbechaniah the son of Aran ; and his son Jo- 
hanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 

19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my 
words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear. 

VEHEMIAH, VII. 

J\*ehemiah commitieih the charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Ha- 
naniah. A register of the genealogy of them which came at the 
first out of Babylon, of the people, of the priests, of the Levites, 
?f the JVethihims, frc. 

1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up 
the doors, and the porters, and the singers, and the Levites were ap- 
pointed, 

2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the 
palace, charge over Jerusalem: (for he was a faithful man, and fear- 
ed God above many :) 

3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened 
until the sun be hot ; and, while they stand by, let them shut the 
doors, and bar them : and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his 
house. 

4 Now the city teas large and great : but the people were few 
therein, and the houses were not builded. 



Nehemiah. 



453 



70 And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. 
The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty 
basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments. 

71 And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the 
work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hun- 
dred pounds of silver. 

72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thou- 
sand drams of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and threescore 
and seven priests' garments. 

73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers,, 
and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in 
their cities ; and when the seventh month came, the children of 
Israel were in their cities. 

NEHEMIAH, VIII. 

The religious manner of reading and hearing the law. 

1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into 
the street that was before the water gate ; and they spake unto Ezra 
the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord 
had commanded to Israel. 

2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation 
both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, 
upon the first day of the seventh month. 

3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water 
gate, from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, 
and those that could understand ; and the ears of all the people vjere 
attentive unto the book of the law. 

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they 
had made for the purpose ; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and 
Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his 
right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Mal- 
chiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he 
was above all the people ;) and when he opened it, all the people 
stood up : 

6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people 
answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands : and they bowed 
their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 

7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbe- 
thai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, 
and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law : and the 
people stood in their place. 

8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave 
the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 

9 r And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the 
scribe, and the Levites that taught the people said unto all the people, 
This day is holy unto the Lord your God ; mourn not, nor weep. 
For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 

10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink 
the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepar- 
ed : for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for 
the joy of the Lord is your strength. 

38 



454 



Nehemiali. 



11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, 
for the day is holy ; neither be ye grieved. 

12 And all the people went their way to eat and to drink, and to 
send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood 
the words that were declared unto them. 

13 IT And on the second day were gathered together the chief of 
the fathers of all the people, the priests and the Levites, unto Ezra 
the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. 

14 And they found written in the law, which the Lord had com- 
manded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths 
in the feast of the seventh month : 

15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, 
and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive- 
branches, and pine-branches, and myrtle-branches, and palm-branch- 
es, and branches of thick trees, *o make booths, as it is written. 

16 U So the people went forth, and brought them, and made them- 
selves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their 
courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the 
water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 

17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of 
the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths ; for since the 
days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day, had not the children of 
Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 

18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read 
in the book of the law of God ; and they kept the feast seven days, 
and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the 
manner. 

NEHEMIAH, IX. 

A solemn fast, a nd repentance of the people. The Levites confess 
God's goodness, and their own wickedness. 

1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month, the children of 
Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth 
upon them. 

2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, 
and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 

3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law 
of the Lord their God, one fourth part of the day ; and another 
fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God, 

4 IT Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, 
Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and 
cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God. 

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, 
Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and 
bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy 
glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 

6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone ; thou hast made heaven, the 
heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that 
ate therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them 
all ; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. 

7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and 
broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the 
name cf Abraham : 



Nehemiah. 



455 



8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a cove- 
nant with him, to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the 
Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, 
to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words ; for thou 
art righteous : 

9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest 
their cry by the Red sea : 

10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his 
servants, and on all the people of his land ; for thou knewest that 
they dealt proudly against them : so didst thou get thee a name, as 
it is this day. 

11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went 
through the midst of the sea on the dry land ; and their persecutors 
thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. 

12 Moreover, thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar, and 
and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way 
wherein they should go. 

13 Thou earnest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with 
them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, 
good statutes and commandments : 

14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and com- 
mandest them precepts, statutes and laws, by the hand of Moses thy 
servant : 

15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and 
broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and 
promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land w T hich thou 
hadst sworn to give them. 

16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their 
necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 

17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that 
thou didst among them ; but hardened their necks, and in their 
rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage : but thou art 
a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of 
great kindness, and forsookesi them not. 

18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is 
thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great 
provocations ; 

19 Yet thou, in thy manifold mercies, forsookest them not in the 
wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, 
to lead them in the way ; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew 
them light, and the way wherein they should go. 

20 Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and with- 
heldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for 
their thirst. 

21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so 
that they lacked nothing : their clothes waxed not old, and their feet 
swelled not. 

22 .Moreover, thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst 
divide them into corners : so they possessed the land of Sihon, and 
the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 

23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and 
broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promis- 
ed to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it 



456 



Neliemiah. 



24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou sub- 
duedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and 
gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the 
land, that they might do with them as they would. 

25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses 
full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and olive-yards, and fruit- 
trees in abundance : so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, 
and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. 

28 Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, 
and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets, which 
testified against them to turn them to thee ; and they wrought great 
provocations. 

27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, 
who vexed them : and in the time of their trouble, when they cried 
unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and, according to thy 
manifold mercies, thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of 
the hand of their enemies. 

28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee : there- 
fore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had 
the dominion over them : yet when they returned, and cried unto 
thee, thou heardest them from heaven, and many times didst thou 
deliver them, according to thy mercies ; 

29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them 
again unto thy law ; yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto 
thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a 
man do, he shall live in them,) and withdrew the shoulder, and 
hardened their neck, and would not hear : 

30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against 
them by thy Spirit in thy prophets ; yet would they not give ear : 
therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. 

31 Nevertheless, for thy great mercies 5 sake thou didst not utterly 
consume them, nor forsake them ; for thou art a gracious and merci= 
ful God. 

32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible 
God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem 
little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our 
princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, 
and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this 
day. 

33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us ; for thou 
hast done right, but we have done wickedly : 

34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, 
kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments, and thy testi- 
monies, wherewith thou didst testily against them. 

35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy 
great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land 
which "thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wick- 
ed works. 

36 Behold, we are servants this day ; and for the land that thou 
gavest unto our fathers, to eat the fruit thereat, and the good thereof, 
behold, we are servants in it : 

37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou has? 
set oyer us because of pur sins : also they have dominion over QUf 



Nehemiah. 



45? 



bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great 
distress. 

38 And because of all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it ; 
and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. 

nehemiah, X. 

28 IT And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the por- 
ters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated 
themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God ; their 
wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, 
and having understanding ; 

29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a 
curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by 
Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and do ail the command- 
ments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments, and his statutes ; 

30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of 
the land, nor take their daughters for our sons : 

31 And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the 
sabbath-day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, 
or on the holy-day ; and that we would leave the seventh year, and 
the exaction of every debt. 

32 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly 
with the third part of a shekel, for the service of the house of our 
God ; 

33 For the shew-bread, and for the continual meat-offering, and 
for the continual burnt-offering, of the sabbaths, of the new-moons, 
for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin -olfe rings, 
to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of 
our God. 

• 34 And we cast the lots among the priests, the -Levites, and the 
people, for the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God, 
after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed, year by year, to 
burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law 5 

35 And to bring the first-fruits of our ground, and the first-fruits of 
all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord : . 

38 Also the first-born of our sons, and of our cattle, (as it is written 
in the law,; aifQ the firstlings of our herds, and of our flocks, to bring 
to the hou^e oi our God, unto the priests that minister in the house 
of our God : 

37 And that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our 
offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine, and of oil, unto 
the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God ; and the tithes 
of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the 
tithes in all the cities of our tillage. 

38 And the priest the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites 
when the Levites take tithes : and the Levites shall bring up the 
tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into 
the treasure-house. 

39 For the children of Israel, and the children of Levi, shall bring 
the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the cham= 
bers where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that 

38 * 



458 



Nehemiah. 



minister, and the porters, and the singers : and we will not forsake 
the house of our God. 

B. C. 443, NEHEMIAH, XI. 

1 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the 
people also east lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the 
holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. 

2 And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered them- 
selves to dwell at Jerusalem. 

B. C. 441. NEHEMIAH, XIII. 

10 % And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been 
given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were 
fled every one to his field. 

11 Then contended 1 with the rulers, and said, Why is the house 
of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in 
their place. 

12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn, and the new 
wine, and the oil, unto the treasuries. 

13* And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, 
and Zadok the scribe; and of the Levites, Pedaiah ; and next to them 
was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah : for they were 
counted faithful ; and their office was to distribute unto their brethren, 

14 Remember me, my God, concerning this, and wipe not out 
my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the 
offices thereof. 

15 * % In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses 
on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also 
wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they 
brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath-day: and I testified against 
them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 

16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and 
all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of 
Judah, and in Jerusalem. 

17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto 
them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath- 
day ? 

18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this 
evil upon us, and upon this city ? yet ye bring more wrath upon 
Israel by profaning the sabbath. 

19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to 
be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be 
shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sab- 
bath : and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should 
no burden be brought in on the sabbath-day. 

20 So the merchants, and sellers of all kind of ware, lodged with- 
out Jerusalem once or twice. 

21 Then ! testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge 
ye about the wall ? if ye do so again, 1 will lay hands on you. From 
that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 

22 And I commanded the Levites, that they should cleanse them- 
selves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the 



B. C. 423. 



Nehemiak. 31alachi. 



459 



sabbath=day. Remember me, my God, concerning this also, and 
spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. 

23 r In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of 
Ashdod, of Amnion, and of Moab : 

24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and 
could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language 
of each people. 

25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote cer- 
tain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by 
God, saying. Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor 
take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 

26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things ? yet among 
many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his 
God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless, even him 
did outlandish women cause to sin. 

2T Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to 
transgress against our God, in marrying strange wives I 

23 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high 
priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite : therefore I chased 
him from me. 

29 Remember them, O my God, because they have denied the 
priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. 

30 Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the 
wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business ; 

31 And for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first- 
fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good. 

malachi, i. B. C. 420= 

Malachi co?n]]laineth of Israel's unkindness, irreligion, and pro- 
faneness. 

1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. 

2 I have loved you, saith the Lord ; Yet ye say, Wherein hast 
thou loved us : Was not Esau Jacob's brother ? saith the Lord : 
yet I loved Jacob, 

3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste 
for the dragons of the wilderness. 

4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return 
and build the desolate places ; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They 
shall build, but I will throw down ; and they shall call them, The 
border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath 
indignation for ever. 

5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be 
magnified from the border of Israel. 

6 IF A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master : if then I 
be a father, where is mine honor ? and if I be a master, where is my 
fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, priests, that despise my 
name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name ? 

7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar ; and ye say, Wherein 
have we polluted thee ? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is 
contemptible. 

8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, Is it not evil ? and if ye 
offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil I offer it now unto thy gover- 



460 



Malachi. 



nor ; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person ? saith the 
Lord of hosts. 

9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto 
us : this hath been by your means : will he regard your persons ? 
saith the Lord of hosts. 

10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for 
nought ? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have 
no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an 
offering at your hand. 

11 Lor from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the 
same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in every 
place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering : 
for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of 
hosts. 

12 11 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the 
Lord is polluted ; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contempti- 
ble. 

13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it I and ye have 
snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts ; and ye brought that tchich 
ztas torn, and the lame and the sick ; thus ye brought an offering : 
Should I accept this of your hand ? saith the Lord. 

14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and 
voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for 1 am a 
great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among 
the heathen. 

3IALACHI, II. 

He reproveth the priests for neglecting their covenant, and the peo- 
ple for idolatry, adultery, and infidelity. 

1 And now, O ye priests, this command ment is for you. 

2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give 
glory unto my name, saith the Lord -of hosts, I will even send a 
curse upon you. and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed 
them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 

3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your 
faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts ; and one shall take you 
away with it. 

4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, 
that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 

5 My covenant was with him of life and peace ; and I gave them 
to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before 
my name. 

6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found 
in his lips ; he walked with me in peace and equity- , and did turn 
many away from iniquity. 

7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should 
seek the law at his mouth : for he is the messenger of the Lord of 
hosts. 

S But ye are departed out of the way ; ye have caused many to 
stumble at the law ; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith 
the Lord of hosts. 

9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all 



Malachi. 



461 



the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been 
partial in the law. 

10 Have we not all one father ? hath not one God created us ? why 
do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning 
the covenant of our fathers ? 

11 IT Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is com- 
mitted in Israel and in Jerusalem ; for Judah hath profaned the holi- 
ness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of 
a strange god. 

12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and 
the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an 
offering unto the Lord of hosts. 

13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord 
with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he 
regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at 
your hand. 

14 U Yet ye say, Wherefore ? Because the Lord hath been 
witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou 
hast dealt treacherously : yet is she thy companion, and the wife of 
thy covenant. 

15 And did not he make one ? Yet had he the residue of the 
spirit. And wherefore one ? That he might seek a godly seed. 
Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously 
against the wife of his youth. 

16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith, that he hateth putting 
away : for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord 
of hosts ; therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treach- 
erously. 

17 IT Ye have wearied the Lord with your words : yet ye say, 
Wherein have we wearied him ? When ye say, Every one that doeth 
evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them ; or 3 
Where is the God of judgment? 

MALACHI, III. 

Of the messenger, majesty, and grace, of Christ, Of the rebellion, 
sacrilege, and infidelity of the people. The promise of blessing 
to them that fear God. 

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the 
way before me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come 
to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight 
in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. 

2 But who may abide the day of his coming ? and who shall stand 
when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' 
soap : 

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall 
purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they 
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. 

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto 
the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 

5 And I will come near to you to judgment ; and I will be a swift 
witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against 
false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his 



462 



Malachi. 



wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger 
from his light, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 

6 For I am the Lord, I change not ; therefore ye sons of Jacob 
are not consumed. 

7 IT Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from 
mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I 
will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein 
shall we return ? 

8 IT Will a man rob God ? yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, 
Wherein have we robbed thee ? In tithes and offerings. 

9 Ye are cursed with a curse : for ye have robbed me, even this 
whole nation. 

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be 
meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of 
hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you 
out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not 
destroy the fruits of your ground ; neither shall your vine cast her 
fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 

12 And all nations shall call you blessed : for ye shall be a delight- 
some land, saith the Lord of hosts. 

13 TT Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord : yet 
ye say, W T hat have we spoken so much against thee ? 

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God ; and what profit is it 
that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mourn- 
fully before the Lord of hosts ? 

15 And now we call the proud happy : yea, they that work wick- 
edness are set up ; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. 

16 IT Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another ; 
and the Lord hearkened, and heard it : and a book of remembrance 
was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that 
thought upon his name. 

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day 
when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth 
his own son that serveth him. 

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and 
the wicked ; between him that serveth God and him that serveth him 
note 

MALACHI, IV. 

God's judgment on the ivicked, and his blessing on the good : he 
telleth of Elijah's coming. 

1 For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven ; and all 
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : and the 
day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts, that it 
shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

2 IT But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness 
arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shali go forth, and grow up 
as calves of the stall. 

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked ; for they shall be ashes 
under the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, saith the 
Lord of hosts. 



Malacki, 



463 



4 r Remember ye the law of Moses ray servant, which I com- 
manded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judg- 
ments. 

5 *~ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming 
of the great and dreadful day of the Lord : 

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and 
the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the 
earth with a curse. 



3 47 7 



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